Chapter 373: The Final Gate, a Test? |
First, using time magic consumes enormous resources!
Space magic already consumes a lot, both in mana and in mental strain; it is several times more demanding than ordinary elemental spells, while time magic is several times more demanding than space magic!
Just now, during that brief moment of slowed time, Lin Mo expended enough mana to cast a dozen-plus epic-level skills!
So, time magic definitely cannot be used frequently, it must be reserved for crucial moments.
Next, the specific effect of the skill Time Slow: from the earlier test, its current effect can slow the flow of time in the target area by several times, which directly affects all of the target’s actions, including attacking, defending, and spellcasting. However, it seems not to affect thought processes, meaning it does not slow down thinking.
As for duration...
Lin Mo didn’t push to the absolute limit earlier; it lasted roughly two seconds. If he gave his all, it should last about three seconds.
Time is not long, after all this is only beginner-level time magic, and Lin Mo’s proficiency is still very low.
But regardless, time and space abilities are always unexpected. When used at the right moment, they can decisively resolve a situation.
Please choose an evolution direction—
Evolution Route 1: Stasis I: Stasis effect increased by 20%
Evolution Route 2: Mastery I: Skill cost reduced by 30%
Both evolution paths are straightforward: one increases the time-stasis effect, making the slowdown stronger, while the other directly reduces skill cost by a significant margin.
After thinking it over, Lin Mo ultimately chose Evolution Route 2.
The current time-stasis effect is already quite good; increasing it by another 20% would help, but wouldn’t be transformative. Meanwhile, the skill’s consumption is terrifying—reducing cost by 30% would be equivalent to saving the mana for three or four epic-level skills, so the latter choice was clearly more practical.
While learning and comprehending this skill, Lin Mo remained mostly in a meditative state. Although it cost quite a bit of focus, it served as rest, so he no longer needed extra downtime. The others had also rested sufficiently while he researched the skill, so they could depart immediately and continue exploring the Secret Realm.
Of course, they still needed to eat something first.
In the past they might have chosen simple rations or bread, but Lena had already prepared suitable dishes. The meals not only filled the stomach, they were made from special crops and magical creature meat, offering good recovery for both body and energy.
As Lena’s Chef level improves, she will be able to cook foods with special effects—temporarily boosting Strength or other attributes, or providing protective effects in a drink, and so on.
As a life profession, while Planter and Chef roles aren’t as powerful as Alchemist or Blacksmith, reaching a certain rank can provide very strong logistical support.
After eating, they set out again, heading toward the next gate.
According to the pattern they had summarized, the monsters in the upcoming 51st gate would start at level 26.
That level did not obviously exceed Lin Mo and the party’s capabilities, so although there was a bit of disappointment, to avoid slowing down Ellie, Lin Mo and the others did not continue following Ellie further. Instead, they stayed within the Portable Space.
From here on, Lily would accompany me to continue exploring.
Lily’s strength was unquestionable. Even if a direct confrontation might be tougher than the previous gates’ monsters, she is, after all, a Knight, though her armor wasn’t the best. At worst she would be injured and require Ellie’s care.
A two-person journey was much calmer than before. Lily is the talkative type; if Ellie speaks to you, she’ll hold a conversation for a long time, while Ellie mostly follows silently.
That serious personality can be annoying, but it’s also difficult to get close to at times.
By comparison, someone like Sherfilia, with her sharp tongue, makes initial interactions awkward yet also creates chances for real exchange.
Lin Mo wasn’t very good at dealing with girls like Lily—he wanted to chat, but couldn’t think of anything to say, so he resorted to topics about the Church.
When the conversation turned to that subject, Lily would speak a little more. It was clear she was very devout. However, through their talk Lin Mo learned that her faith was not rigid and blind; she had her own understanding and reasoning.
For example, she didn’t revere the Goddess of Holy Light simply because the goddess was divine. She respected the goddess because she had led the gods to save the world; what Lily admired were those deeds and ideals.
She was a relatively practical and rational believer.
Because of this, Lily’s attitude toward Lin Mo was complicated.
After all, Lily did not know much about Lin Mo yet, so her apparent reverence was somewhat superficial.
In short, she had not truly accepted him in her heart as the replacement for a deity.
She respected him because he was chosen by the gods and she trusted the Goddess of Holy Light’s judgment, so she treated him as a Divine Child.
Lin Mo had no doubt that if he continued to disappoint her, Lily would gradually question the goddess’s decision and change her attitude toward him.
Conversely, if Lin Mo demonstrated strong power and unyielding resolve—if he proved himself worthy to be a god’s successor—he would gain her genuine recognition and reverence.
These were the impressions Lin Mo gathered from their brief exchange.
After the 51st gate, the number of monsters dropped significantly compared to earlier waves.
For example, the 51st gate had only a single monster.
The next few gates were similar, often only one or two monsters.
Monsters of that level could be handled by Lily, but as a Paladin her offensive options were relatively limited, making quick victories difficult.
Moreover, unlike Ellie, Lily’s strength was entirely due to her talent and effort. Although relatively young and somewhat inexperienced, she had far more real combat experience than Ellie’s peers, so she didn’t need these monsters just to practice.
Therefore, to save time, Lin Mo directly took the field.
His displayed strength made Lily’s understanding of him much clearer.
This boy, roughly her age—possibly even younger—possessed astonishing talent... or rather, unprecedented talent.
Even Sister Joan, the historical genius renowned in records, seemed somewhat dim by comparison.
Proficiency across nearly every profession—just that was something no one in history had ever achieved.
He was not superficially proficient either; he could combine different profession skills to form more powerful Combination Skills. His moves were strong, versatile, and executed with great mastery.
That he had reached his current level under such circumstances was jaw-dropping...
Watching him all the way, Lily realized clearly that even wearing top-tier royal armor, she most likely wouldn’t last more than three minutes in a real fight.
During the fight with the monster, because there was little pressure, Lin Mo did not rely on his already well-practiced Combination Skills. Instead he experimented with new combinations.
For example, he tried fusing the mage’s three-element magic, combining Space Magic with other profession skills, and exploring the newly acquired Shadow Hunter profession...
This profession allowed Lin Mo to merge Assassin and Ranger skills—quite interesting.
For instance, combining an Assassin’s Stealth skill with a Ranger’s single-target burst could accomplish ultra-long-range invisible assassination.
This method is far safer than an Assassin’s close-range stab; even if it fails, the enemy cannot immediately counterattack.
Lin Mo even attempted to extend the Stealth effect to the arrows he shot.
This isn’t impossible—Assassins conceal their weapons during assassinations. Similarly, the bow is one of the Shadow Hunter’s weapons, so a fired arrow could potentially maintain sustained invisibility.
But achieving this is difficult; it requires repeated trials and practice, adjusting the flow of Qi and Blood.
Beyond stealth skills, the Assassin profession has many high-burst skills that can be combined with Ranger skills to further amplify burst damage.
Among all professions, excluding the mage as a special case, Assassin is undoubtedly the profession with the strongest burst potential.
The Ranger’s burst isn’t very strong; while it has some burst skills, Rangers are more inclined toward steady, continuous output, serving as reliable DPS in an Adventuring Team.
The Shadow Hunter profession can graft the Assassin’s burst traits onto the Ranger, achieving long-range burst effects.
In pure destructive power and area damage, it still falls short of mages, but for single-target damage and burst, Shadow Hunter skills unquestionably surpass mages, and they attack faster and more frequently.
Mages still need casting time; even with very fast casting, they cannot match a powerful Ranger’s arrow speed.
In short, this special profession has a lot of potential. It was a pity Lin Mo had so many things to research that he couldn’t devote all his attention to it.
Perhaps this is the trouble of having too many professions...
After cutting through waves of monsters, they reached the 59th floor very easily.
When the gate’s door was pushed open, the guarding monster inside suddenly looked around but found no opponent, confused for a moment.
The next instant, a sound rang in its ears, and before it realized what happened, a pitch-black arrow had already pierced its brow!
Shadow Rupture Arrow!
This move was one of the results Lin Mo had developed along the way. By using the Assassin skill Vanish to make the arrow invisible, and referencing the Assassin skill Shadow Assassination’s Qi-and-Blood path, he further boosted the Rupture Arrow’s burst damage.
The level 29 monster before them didn’t even react and was instantly killed!
Seeing the fallen body ahead, Lin Mo appeared and nodded with satisfaction.
Behind him, Lily hurried over after the fight ended, eyes shining with astonishment beneath her helmet.
She had watched Lin Mo constantly experiment along the way
From initial awkwardness and even failures to coordinated, smooth integration...
This entire process had taken only one or two hours!
At least in terms of talent, she now fully understood the Goddess of Holy Light’s choice.
This was truly beyond ordinary human scope, a god-level talent.
Next was the 60th gate.
With Lily helping to clear the battlefield, Lin Mo adjusted his state and looked down the corridor ahead.
He wondered if this gate might be the Secret Realm’s key challenge.
If not, he could leave for now and return later.
With his current strength he could still handle monsters that had just reached epic-level; higher levels would be much harder.
If there were a 70th gate, Lin Mo would not be able to pass it.
He couldn’t even get past the minor gates before 70...
Soon Lily finished cleaning up and gathered the spoils.
Lin Mo took a deep breath and continued forward.
This time, the path ahead was not a tangle of branches but a single narrow road that looked very long.
Lin Mo’s mind clicked with understanding.
It seemed the end truly lay ahead.
Lin Mo pushed open the final door and stepped inside.
What appeared was not an isolated space like previous gates, but a surprisingly simple yet very large... cave?
Lin Mo constantly scanned the surroundings, staying on guard.
Suddenly he sensed something, snatched Lily’s hand, and with a flash moved to the front.
Turning to look back, he saw with the naked eye that the space they had just stood in had been warped into a twisted mass, as if crushed by some force.
Without hesitation, Lin Mo quickly sent Lily into the Portable Space.
Then, with another flash, he shifted position again.
The space where he had stood had been squeezed and wildly distorted by an invisible external force.
This distortion had not appeared without warning; fluctuations in the space were obvious, almost as if they were deliberate warnings.
Lin Mo’s expression grew strange.
So, this is... a test?