Chapter 31
It was the name and description of the two spells that kind of confused and worried him.
[Ordered Life Regeneration (no limit)]: Life essence will never decrease or increase, nor be affected by elements and magic spells that exist within the ordered system. The body cannot be separated from the Life essence as a result. This is activated automatically at the presence of ordered system elements/magic spells. This spell can be used to other living and non-living beings, which only heals them.
[Chaotic Life Evolution (no limit)]: Any form of injury or damage in and on the body will be reverted to normal. The life essence of the caster will never decrease or increase, nor be affected by elements and magic spells that exist outside the ordered system. The body and life essence cannot be combined as a result. Activated automatically upon the presence of non-ordered system magic spells/elements. The spell can be used to other living and non-living beings, which can cause them to mutate and evolve.
Aren't these two spells conflicting? Xander thought for a moment, then realized one thing: One suppresses the negative effects of the other spell, but both support each others' positive traits.
Both focus on the life essence doll, while the latter protects the body from harm.
The spells can heal, and at the same time, be used to cause beings to evolve or mutate.
With the formation of these two new spells, he decided to remove two pseudo-spells, namely [Body Control] and [Blood Manipulation] and then created 2 Advanced spells he had gleaned from the red sphere during its activation: [Ethereal Sunrise] and [Frenzied Sunset], a pair of spells for Order and Chaos elements.
[Ethereal Sunrise]: Invokes the power of order to be strengthened in the target or area, causing improved elemental circulation, cultivation, and magic spell power up to 10 times the original effect. Elements have a stronger representation of the rules of the ordered system in the area or in the target. Can only be used before noon.
[Frenzied Sunset]: Invokes the power of chaos to be strengthened in the target, or area, causing higher rates of randomness, and makes the Elements' representation of rules of the ordered system weaker, or even swap in the area or in the target. It can only be used after noon.
Because of the unique properties of these two spells, they have a special function. When the spells are cast at the same time, a Sage rank spell: [Twilight Sonata], activates.
[Twilight Sonata]: Returns everything to their very origin, removing both chaos and order in the area, reducing everything into nothing, forming a seed of creation and a seed of destruction. The number of seeds produced depends on numerous factors.
This combined spell, however, cannot be used by Xander now, given that his comprehension for the Order and Chaos elements was not on the required level. On the other hand, his s.p.a.ce-time comprehension was the one that benefited the most.
With 10%, s.p.a.ce appears as a series of points and matrices that are interconnected, no matter how far you are from one point to another. With his current strength, Xander could travel 1/4 of the universe's distance within seconds and reach the end of it in less than a minute, with no traceable spatial and elemental fluctuations. He looked at humans walking outside the hotel and he could see lines that form their bodies, their being. He could even damage it or destroy it completely. He noticed that different people of different cultivations had differing line structures, some more complex, some more simple, some were thicker.
At the same time, his capability to break s.p.a.ces increased to a new level; he could easily escape chaotic s.p.a.ces with a single thought, as well as break the s.p.a.ce apart to force the ordered system to reset the s.p.a.ce in the area. So, if he was sealed in a stable s.p.a.ce, or traveled in a chaotic s.p.a.ce region, he could break it and elicit a reaction from the ordered system to repair the s.p.a.ce back to its original state, before the sealing or chaos ever existed. Breaking layered s.p.a.ces were the same as well; even if they were infused by other elements, as long as they aren't the origin elements, they could easily be broken down simultaneously by Xander.
All the capabilities of his s.p.a.ce-based spells also increased qualitatively. [s.p.a.ce Crush] can now cover a maximum area of a lightyear, with the speed it activates being less than a second. His other G.o.d rank spell, [Absolute s.p.a.ce], became activated, with the (sealed) turning into (sealed, 10% unlocked) state. He could finally read the description of the spell.
[Absolute s.p.a.ce (sealed, 10% unlocked)]: s.p.a.ce becomes a multi-dimensional drawing for you. Everything is formed by points, lines, and shapes, the very foundation of s.p.a.ce, and it is easy for you to manipulate these points, lines, and shapes. Multi-dimensional traveling is quite an easy task, and creating a fledgling dimension would be no problem. One can also create spatial holes out of the ordered system and into the Great Void, and sneaking into other ordered systems is also possible. The limitations of your control over s.p.a.ce are the limitations of your imagination and knowledge.
Now, with 10% comprehension of Time, besides the viewing of the past and future elongating to from 10,000 to 100,000 years, to 100,000 to 10,000,000 years. He could also influence the river of time of the ordered system at a certain extent, meaning he could summon it and manipulate the changes by forcibly removing or adding something to the river, undetectable to anyone, within the period of 1 - 10,000,000 years into the future and back in the past. Weirdly, he could change his vision of the universe to actually detect 'pockets of time,' natural and artificial areas in which time moves differently from the entire universe, whether it may be slower, faster, or not moving at all.
Not only that, but he could also now influence the time clones of other beings; meaning, he could summon their alternate timeline bodies and abilities, and
The spell [Absolute Time] and [Temporal replication] also improved in quality; the latter being able to do it without direct contact and doing it in an area with a maximum size of a lightyear. He could create another Eteria planet appear in the starry sky, or even replicate the moon, or even the stars! The biggest improvement was [Absolute Time], where an additional line appeared at the end of the description.
[Absolute Time (sealed, 10% unlocked)]: Nothing can go against the flow of time; this can affect non-living and living beings, targeting their characteristics, ranging from, but not limited to:
Intrinsic characteristics (molecular and quantum structures, temperature, sharpness, clarity, thickness, roughness, concentration, spatial arrangement, etc.)
Biological functions (Age, memories, digestion, regeneration, cell division, tissue and organ formation, etc.) and
Extraneous functions (such as magic cultivation, ability to do magic, affinity towards the elements, etc.), causing them to reverse, slow, stop, or accelerate permanently, as long as their comprehension of the time element is lower than the caster.
Xander pondered for a moment before realizing what the change meant. If earlier, he could reverse, slow, stop, or accelerate time, but only for a certain period of time in the ordered system, and it varied depending on how different the time was of the area to that of the rest of the universe, now he could cause beings to be permanently affected by time acceleration, reversal, slow, or stop as long as their comprehension is lower than his, as well as their cultivation level is not too high.
Last but not the least, the combined understanding of s.p.a.ce-time elements brought a breakthrough. Not only was the fusion of s.p.a.ce-time spells a lot more stable compared to that of 2% comprehension, but reaching 10% allowed him to create larger pocket dimensions where time flows differently, becoming partially independent of the ordered system it is in, with its own set of rules and elements existing in it. It's basically a spatial dimension, but it allows life to survive inside, and time flows differently, and not in a static state. He could convert his garden into a pocket dimension that is locked away from anyone's prying eyes and hands, with only him and those he gave permission being able to enter and leave.
Because of this partial fusion, all his s.p.a.ce spells had a trace of the time element in them and vice versa. He could now target anyone with a distance of 1 lightyear with his time spells, so he doesn't have to be in physical contact. The problem however is that it generates a karmic thread that connects it Xander's life essence doll to the target if the target is not dead, so unless he uses this feature to kill rather than to torture or play around, others can use this opportunity to locate and bother Xander. Similarly, the s.p.a.ce spells would also have a trace of time, meaning he could accelerate the process of the spell or even slow it down, or reverse it, or stop it.
The s.p.a.ce-time reversal whenever he gets critically injured to the point of dying also improved. If earlier, it returns 2 minutes before the scenario happens, it is now able to turn back up to a total of 180 days, or half a year, giving enough time for Xander to change and create plans to avoid the situation from happening. The radius of s.p.a.ce-time reversal occurs within 1/4 of the universe's total size, with the location he is in being the epicenter. All is reversed in this period: Biological, intrinsic, extrinsic processes, including life and death. Anyone who has a s.p.a.ce-time comprehension lower than his are not exempted.
Lastly, the formation of the last G.o.d spell, [Origin Universe] appeared. when he checked the description, he was not disappointed.
[Origin Universe (sealed, 2% unlocked)]: Combining all origin elements except the Void element, one can create a small, stable, and independent ordered system in the Great Void for an indefinite amount of time. It cannot grow from its defined size. It is only the size of a lightyear.
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Waking up in the morning, Xander took a bath and changed his clothing, eating breakfast before going to his next destination: Mount Descras.
He wanted to test the improved [Temporal Replication] on the metal that he was required to get. Upon reaching the mountain, he found a secluded cave and closed the entrance with both earth and s.p.a.ce elements.
He used his light spell, [Golden Light], and several orbs were placed on even intervals in the cave. He selected a place and sat down before establis.h.i.+ng a temporary pocket dimension.
Immediately, the pocket dimension established itself using the origin elements under Xander's comprehension, and modified the flow of time within the pocket dimension to 1 second outside: 50 years inside time ratio and this system could last for around a month in the real world before naturally collapsing without any damage in the surroundings because of the difference of time inside and outside the dimension. However, Xander only needed it for a total of 2 hours, roughly causing 360,000 years to pa.s.s. It was impossible to create life inside the pocket dimension because the rules he established only focused on producing the purest earth/metal elements, rather than an average amount of every element under the origin elements.
According to his experiments in the garden, sprites were not formed without the presence of other elements, but the only elements present were the origin elements and earth/metal elements; the rest were missing. Just in case, however, Xander went inside the small pocket dimension not larger than 20 meters in size after a few minutes of deliberation.
He was dumbfounded with what he sensed upon entering the small s.p.a.ce.
The presence of Life-death elements and their derivatives.
The presence of Yin-Yang elements and their derivatives.
Xander was dumbfounded; the laws of the pocket dimension were generated in such a way that no other elements besides earth/metal and the origin elements. How could it create other elements of its own? Wait... semi-independent, anch.o.r.ed in the ordered system... d.a.m.n it! Xander slapped his forehead in his carelessness.
He immediately checked the elemental concentration in the area and saw that there were pockets of elements concentrated within the newly generated earth/metal deposits. He immediately used his authority in the system to disperse these concentrations, removing any chances of sprites or non-living beings transforming into real living beings.
Wait, it has been around five minutes, so that means, only 15,000 years have pa.s.sed inside the pocket dimension. Xander immediately began scanning the s.p.a.ce with his spatial perception. Bingo, microorganisms were already present in the pocket s.p.a.ce. Although they looked different from how other microbes in the outside world were, as these ones had solidified, metallic parts, making them look glossy and robot-like.
Xander shook his head before he started digging in the ground, and he finally got Azrite metal he was tasked to collect; they were of 99% purity.
There were around 2 kilograms of the metal... Eh. He shrugged his shoulders and decided to make MCGD handle this then. Immediately, he left the pocket dimension, before forcing it to collapse on its own. He placed the metal into his spatial storage. He removed any foreign contamination from the microorganisms in the pocket dimension, to ensure he wouldn't cause a collapse in the ecology of his planet if he left. He had seen so many timelines besides his where the planet collapsed because of extraterrestrial microorganisms collapsed the ecosystem, and humans couldn't adapt to the changes.
The problem with pocket s.p.a.ces is that once it has been established, any attempts to change the structural settings can cause a cascade of effects to occur, which is a b.i.t.c.h to handle for Xander, so he would rather destroy one and build another again. This time, since he wasn't going to use the s.p.a.ce anymore, he forcefully collapsed it, causing the pocket dimension to shrink and implode in itself, slowly solidifying into a very, very dense spherical object. There was a caved section on the floor of the cave, indicating that the soil foundation of the pocket dimension came from that spot.
Upon holding the sphere, he could detect the same fluctuations present in the red sphere when it was activated present in this current sphere. However, the difference was this one was inert, and even when he tried channeling elements into it, it wasn't reacting. Xander had postulated why the red sphere had occurred: It was because the body is a source of both Order and Chaos since it shows ordered transformation, but the cultivation of magicians goes against the Order of the System.
The dense sphere did have a weird property though: Although minute, he could feel the sphere continuously attracting elements and physical matter alike, condensing and adding to its current weight. Xander's eyes twinkled for a bit, before thinking, could this be an item that can generate a planet if left for thousands and thousands of years in s.p.a.ce?
He could sense, from the sphere, besides the traces of origin elements, physical series of elements were active, albeit minute. He thought for a moment before teleporting a few lightyears away to an empty s.p.a.ce. He placed the sphere there and accelerated the movement of time within a 50,000-kilometer radius to the sphere, making it 1 second:10 years, and he only needed to return there once every year to reinforce it. This ensures 315,360,000 years would pa.s.s in one year. Maybe he only needed 2 years to check if life has evolved in that place.
When he returned to the mountain and then teleported back to the hotel, it was past noon. After resting for a bit, Xander donned his Homer Simpson disguise upon leaving the vicinity of the hotel, and headed to the MCGD Mission Building to submit the items required.
Upon reaching the lobby entrance, he could notice surprised stares coming from other mercenaries present. No one dared to approach him with his cold demeanor and Xander moved unhindered until he reached the elevator. Once he boarded, his face changed, looking puzzled.
"Why were they looking at me like that? I came here yesterday as well." Xander was confused, so he decided to check the Mercenary forums. Upon opening, he could see a posted banner.
"MR. HOMER SIMPSON, PLEASE COME MEET ME IN THE MERCENARY GUILD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE PLEASE MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT:crying emoji:"
Underneath, one could see that it was sponsored by "Fujimo Gang," and upon further digging, this group seemed to be the underground group controlling majority of the underground scene in Verdant City. Xander rolled his eyes and hacked into the server of the group and checked their recorded footage. Upon reviewing what happened, he rolled his eyes.
What an idiot. Threatened so easily by a Mythic peak powerhouse, Xander muttered. Of course, Xander could only say this now because he could rival peak Mythic powerhouses and even possibly win. He didn't bother with the person anymore and entered the C+ rank floor, and headed towards Aria's booth.
Aria, a bit surprised to see Xander back quickly, immediately greeted him.
"Good day, Lonely Maker. Have you come to submit a mission?"
Xander nodded in response. Aria continued to speak, seeing Xander's gesture.
"Can you tell me the mission code?"
"I have two missions to submit. The first one is MCGD-13478A; the second one is MCGD-13599A. Here are the items to turn over." Xander placed the items on the counter, placing them after he 'got' them from his knapsack. Upon seeing the items and the amount that Xander brought out, Aria momentarily froze, mouth agape.