Chương 119: Chapter 118: Breaking Through the Time Core, and the Level 50 Milestone

Inside the colossal stomach cavity of the Entity of the Abyss, the air hung thick with blazing red arcane pepper smoke. Black, corrosive stomach acid churned beneath his feet, continuously releasing corrosive bubbles that ate into anything they touched, including the floating chunks of rock around him. Lucian balanced on a fossilized beast bone, wearing a black rubber anti-toxin mask fitted with two glowing circular lenses — a gift from Evelyn. Cough! Cough!

He shook his head slightly, adjusting the air filter valve on the mask, muttering through the breathing tube.

"This is way too spicy... next time I need to tell that Evelyn girl to dial back the volcanic bird's-eye pepper concentration." Ten meters away, floating at the center of the monster's stomach cavity, the fist-sized Ancient Time Crystal blazed with brilliant amber light. ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! Sensing the approaching threat, the crystal suddenly fired off dozens of golden temporal lightning bolts. Wherever the bolts swept, any surrounding matter disintegrated into dust in an instant. Lucian drew his silver dagger.

Layered Focus: Activate. Lucian mapped the repeating intervals of the temporal discharge, then used fine mana threads and controlled spatial steps to slip through the gaps. The threads did not cancel lightning; they nudged the crystal's unstable firing rhythm just enough to keep its next bolt from arriving where he was. Blink. Whoosh. Lucian appeared directly in front of the crystal. He swung the silver dagger in a precise arc, severing the black arcane cord anchoring it in place. SLASH! Love this novel?

Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The Time Crystal dropped straight into his palm. A warm temporal heat surged outward, melting through his silk glove, pouring straight into his soul and mana channels like a golden waterfall. Ting! Ting! Ting! The Unified System V2. 0 notification shook, lines of gold text detonating through his mind like an arcane storm. [SUCCESSFULLY SYNCHRONIZED: ANCIENT TIME CRYSTAL (RANK SS)!] [ONE-TIME RANK SS PROGRESSION CREDIT CONFIRMED!] [LEVEL UP!] Level 41 → Level 50! (MILESTONE LEVEL 50 REACHED!) [SYSTEM NOTE:] The exceptional nine-level progression comes from this one-time Rank SS credit. [MILESTONE REWARD:] Normal Level 42–50 progression applied under established formula. Time Crystal Synchronization I acquired: limited resistance to temporal interference and recognition of its authenticated route. No claim of ownership over Tower infrastructure granted.

The entire stomach cavity of the Abyssal Entity began collapsing, having lost its central power source. WHOOSH! Lucian activated Silent Blink. His silhouette vanished from inside the beast's stomach. Outside, at Tartarus Station. The hundred-meter shadow monster suddenly let out a dull, muffled explosion from within.

Its entire slime-covered body, thick with tens of thousands of eyes, shattered into millions of pale purple ember fragments, carried away by the spicy red smoke, dissolving completely into the night sky. Thud. Lucian landed lightly on the roof of the Vance family's armored locomotive. He reached up and removed his anti-toxin mask, shaking soot off his cloak. The warm amber temporal glow from the crystal still lingered around his body, shimmering under the Demon Realm's violet moonlight.

Down on the platform, Solaris knights and Demon-race soldiers stared, wide-eyed, at the ten-year-old boy who'd just walked out of the heart of a world-ending explosion without a single scratch on him. Cheers, frightened prayers, and several incoherent financial questions rose from the crowd.

"THE CREATOR HIMSELF HAS SLAIN THE EVIL WITH HIS OWN HANDS!"

"THE MIRACLE OF ORIGIN HAS APPEARED!" At the same moment, deep beneath the continent, one previously dormant ancient elevator route lit blue: the authenticated transit path toward Floor 50, along with only the intermediate nodes needed to reach it. The Time Crystal had opened a route, not handed anyone the keys to every floor. Lucian sat down on the edge of the locomotive's roof, feeling the crystal settle into a steady, expensive-looking pulse beneath his mana channels.

The corner of the ten-year-old's mouth curled into a satisfied smile.

"Now then... I have an authenticated maintenance route worth more than a small kingdom. That is much better than a night-light."