Dyne grew excited. One of the things he wanted to acquire in the game was to have the ability to create higher-tiered items through various means.

“So Alchemy here isn’t the same with Alchemy in the game? Here it’s the combination of Compounding. Well, it sorts of makes sense. Alchemy is the creation of something new from a combination of stuff. Anyway, please give me that ability to absorb book knowledge!”

“Of course. I will use the energy of this link and send in the technique so you will understand it. Along with it, I will send in pure Time and Space energy to change the Monster Hive properties so you can keep items in it! Just guide the property and send it to the Monster Hive.”

“Finally! This is what Strafe didn’t give me! An in-game inventory!”

“I was planning to give it to you, but I told you that having a Monster Hive is better! That was your motivation because if you master Time and Space, you will send items in! Besides, I couldn’t make that happen! I am a cultivator of the Light! My knowledge of Time and Space is poor!” Strafe defended.

“Reasons…” Dyne scoffed.

Strafe sighed and rolled his eyes at Dyne’s words.

“Dyne, this transference of energy is quite strong. Thanks to you clearing the obstacles and noise that would have otherwise made me lose my frequency of your location, I can shoot a powerful spell that will affect you. However, this will be too much for the link and will end this call.”

“You can’t call me again after this, right?”

“No. After linking with you through the legacy artifact, I am simply maintaining the link. But once this is done, I can’t do it again since the book's soul has already dispersed. So let's make the most of this link.”

“Will this hurt?”

“It should. You are Brimstone, after all. Use Jedo as a buffer to absorb the excess energy. It should greatly benefit him as well. I am among the best Time and Space cultivators in this universe, and so, it's like Jedo will have something to compare his pitiful darkness with.” The Slime God laughed.

“He’ll be so jealous.” Strafe chuckled as he recalled Jedo’s former life.

“Are you ready?” The Slime God asked.

“Ready! Pour some sugar on me!” Dyne smiled.

“Alright. Strafe, I expect to see you soon. You too, Dyne. Play well!”

Back on the Edge of Eternity planet, Rena was curious as to the sudden trance that Dyne fell into.

A strange glow surrounded Dyne and what was curious was that the book was also glowing.

“Little Brother…?” Rena slowly approached.

Suddenly, a dark blue color rushed out of the book and began to cover Dyne.

Dyne’s expression paled, and he immediately held out the Monster Hive and the Ra-Seru egg.

Dyne began to grunt, and blood was trickling out of his mouth. His skin also began to crack as wounds began to appear everywhere.

Strafe watched and sighed.

“The Slime God seems playful, but he’s a very sadistic person. I knew this would happen. I’m strict in ensuring a cultivator's path slowly follows a step-by-step principle of biting on what they can swallow. Hence, I always limit the knowledge, items, and powers that you should have. But the Slime God is someone who believes in no pain, no gain. You can bypass things and gain great knowledge and cheats. Provided you have suffered for it. Bear it. This is his test. This can kill you, Dyne.” Strafe warned.

The chair that Dyne sat on was slowly crumbling, and soon, it gave way and fell.

Even Dyne’s clothes were slowly wearing out.

“Little Brother?!” Rena shouted.

“Stay back! I’m fine!” Dyne managed to cry out.

“How cruel. He’s sending quite a bit of time energy. Might as well make some for me.” Strafe shook his head and began to harness the power. But then...

“Strafe…” The voice of the Slime God spoke.

“Slime God?”

“How were you planning on doing the part in Legaia where Vahn and his party would travel back in time?”

“I’ve created an alternate and independent space of that world. It has some souls but just enough to replicate the events in the game.”

“You mean, you created a fake Karisto with all those characters and Rogue?”

“Yes. What do you have in mind?”

“That dimension should be a Time/Space world using various artifacts, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I will send something to you. Let’s transform that place into a Timeline Shadow!”

“An alternate fate dimension?”

“Yes! I’ve got the perfect creature! When they betrayed master, some of the traitors fought me, and in their last moments, they used the Time Nihilium magic to kill me!”

“What? You managed to survive?”

“I was already guarded against everyone, even from you. I knew that someday, greed would manifest. You people of the Light have always been optimistic, but I know that betrayal would always happen. When these people sacrificed themselves and became Time Nihilium beasts, I was already guarded. The Time Capturer has already been prepared.”

“It's against our nature to be skeptical. So do forgive me. What do you want to do?”

“I captured the Time Nihilium being and contained its self-destruction! Right now, it’s just a seed. But with the passing of time between the three worlds you created, it would grow! Send it to that fake dimension and link it to all the worlds you created!”

“Link it? It will devour the passing time of Brigandine, Legaia, and Breath of Fire! Three worlds will hasten its growth! It could even grow strong enough to devour the True Time of the Imaginarium Bond!”

“Exactly! It will devour at each of them. You still have that prisoner around, right? The Fate God that turned twisted?”

“Dark Fate… You want me to release it in that world?”

“Yes!” The Slime God laughed.

“He will use the fake dimension and create an alternate world… With the Time Nihilium, he could create…”

“An alternate Legaia. Dark Fate can use his dark magic to create Past Matter. In short, it will create a true alternate timeline of Legaia!”

“Yes. But that’s just the start! Think beyond it! If you connect it on all three worlds, you might have the necessary power source to create an alternate world or a reverse world of the current worlds you’ve created!”

“I see! In this way, and with the Time Nihilium monster, I can create an additional world for Dyne to adventure on! Dark Fate can only be defeated if the Fate order of the world is broken!”

“Yes! Use him and the Time Nihilium to create an alternate Breath of Fire world! Make a deal with Dark Fate that he is to create it and shape it to become Breath of Fire III!”

“Perfect!” Strafe realized the Slime God’s plan.

“As an added bonus, the Time Nihililium could be a distorter of timelines in the Imaginarium Bond! It could become the Time Devourer!”

“Ah… Interesting. Chrono Cross! He’ll love it. But the side effect is that Dark Fate will try to move and make Rogue more powerful in alternate Legaia! The Breath of Fire III world will also be vastly more powerful!”

“Yes. Exactly. If Dyne fails to reach that timeline quickly and kills Rogue, that world will superimpose itself on the real Legaia. You’ve seen what a freak he is! It's such a waste that you’ve made this world very easy for him! Make it hard! Push him to cultivate against a monstrous Fate monster!”

“No wonder you were so generous. I agree!”

“As payment, you and I should become equally accredited masters!”

“So that’s what you’re after? How vain. Fine. That doesn’t bother me.”

“This is perfect! I have been trying to find a way to imprison the Time Nihilium! No doubt our enemies are working hard to get this being back!” The Slime God laughed.

“So this is why you’ve been acting generous? I thought it was just the pain, but you’re deliberately pushing the games he’s playing to super-hard mode!”

“We are Cultivators, after all. We fight against fate and the heavens! But see what he can do in order to play! A Stone Serpent! He defeated a Stone Serpent in the Martial Advent stage! What a monster! With this, the world he is playing will definitely be harder. But the rewards of beating it will be more games to play! I have a feeling that you crafting the world of Chrono Cross won’t be so far off.”

“Alright. Send it now. The Imaginarium Bond is ready!”

“The pain he’ll feel will be tremendous. But this should help him in his Soul Cultivation. His soul is pure because he is Brimstone. The energy I will send will attack his Elemental Spirit Seed!”

“You plan to attack its soul!”

“That’s right! It's that torturous and diabolical training method. To make the soul stronger, injure it!”

“You’re insane! That could permanently harm him!”

“You forget! He is Brimstone. His chances of recovering and getting stronger through this process are far higher than other cultivators! He is Earth that is given Life! Was this not how Basileus Basileon created humans?”

“You’re betting him to be a phoenix cultivator?”

“Yes!”

Strafe contemplated for a few seconds.

“Soul Whisk… an attack that harms the soul. And you are of the Dark Alignment. You plan to devour his soul.”

“Fairtrade. He already devoured mine!” The Slime God laughed.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Slime God.” Strafe’s previous approving tone changed.

“It’s the only way. How else can I send this Time Nihilium Seed there?” The Slime God laughed.

Strafe couldn’t think of a better way.

“Fine. Do it. Rena will protect him for a time.”

Dyne was enduring the pain that was drastically breaking his body. The surging energy of time and space passed by his body. And just as how the energy of electricity could burn a man, this energy was adding immense stress on his body. If he had been a normal mortal, he would have died almost immediately.

But Dyne harnessed the Life energy in his body to sustain the damage.

But then, powerful energy rushed through the book. It was transporting a small object across the great distance between the Slime God and Dyne. It emerged out of the book, and Strafe immediately absorbed it into the Imaginarium Bond.

The remaining energy carried this object across the dimensions charged straight for Dyne’s Elemental Soul Seed.

Dyne’s vision immediately turned dark.

----

Brutal. You thought the Slime God was a generous man? he is of the Dark Alignment, after all. I used to secretly complain when I read novels where people always underestimate an OP main lead. In some cases, even their god-tiered master. So here, it's only natural that these gods will do anything and everything to make their disciples cultivate harder.