Kranos stared ahead in disbelief. It had actually worked—a single blade of grass had slowed down. For a moment, he thought it was just his imagination, but he knew he wasn't mistaken. Just then, a new line of text appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations on comprehending the basic level of your first time-based technique: Slow. With this ability, you can slow down time for 0.1 seconds. As your comprehension increases, so will the duration of the effect. Usage cost: 10 Time Points.]
AAfter reading the message, Kranos took a deep breath. His guess had been right—he had truly comprehended something! He felt elated inwardly, he decided to use the technique several more times to increase his proficiency in the technique.
He fixed his gaze on the same blade of grass and began the first step: linking his Time Orb to the temporal field around it. That part was completed quickly. He then moved on to the second step, but after several minutes, a frown appeared on his face. The difficulty of using the ability hadn't decreased in the slightest
Confused, he immediately pulled up the system panel.
[Time points: 4900.]
However In the next instant, he was stunned. His time points were decreasing with each use, yet the technique wasn't taking effect. What was going on? Kranos stopped using the ability and began thinking deeply.
According to the information from the system, as my comprehension of the time ability increases, the duration of the technique also improves. But if that's true, why isn't it activating? There's only one possible explanation… Could it be because of my low cultivation? Because I only have one Time Orb?
He considered the possibility. If I had a second orb, my control over the time field surrounding the blade of grass would increase significantly. The idea seemed plausible. Kranos calmed himself and decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he began recalling several other time-based techniques from his previous life, hoping to comprehend them as well.
One that came to mind was the Time Pause skill. His eyes lit up. If I pause time around an opponent while they're casting a technique, wouldn't that interrupt their ability entirely? The more he considered it, the more effective it seemed.
From what I know, casting a cultivation technique involves channeling mana from the dantian through the meridians. If that flow is disrupted—even momentarily—the skill could be canceled… or worse, it might cause a backlash. Damn, isn't that insane?
But he quickly realized the difficulty of the technique, causing him to frown slightly. In order to use such a technique, I'd have to infiltrate the flow of time within a living being. That's far more complex than just slowing down an object without the need for infiltration.
It was similar to selectively altering the time flow in parts of a plant—affecting certain cells so they wouldn't grow, yet also wouldn't decay. Kranos realized that this technique was too far from him for now he decided to just focus on comprehending the techniques for now before anything else.
Time passed, and soon two hours passed in the blink of an eye. It was already deep into the dark night by this time, but Kranos remained seated in deep meditation, comprehending the pause technique. Another thing he just noticed was his ability to see clearly in the dark, which could be attributed to the qi cultivation technique he created. Thanks to this advantage, he continued cultivating through the night.
…
Sigh, this is truly too difficult! Kranos sighed as he opened his eyes and saw that rays of morning sunlight were already piercing through the clouds. I didn't expect the Time Pause skill to be this hard to comprehend.
Similar to the previous time, the first part was indeed easy after all Kranos had done it a couple of times; however, the second part was the main problem, because unlike slowing down time, he needed to forcefully stop the flow of time, even though it should only be for barely an instant.
Time truly is mysterious, he thought, slowly standing from his meditation position. Still, I can feel that I'm getting closer.
…
As soon as he stood up, he took a moment to stretch his stiff body due to the meditation of the previous night. Once again, he didn't sleep in the night but did not feel the least bit tired.
"Son, it's time for breakfast." Kranos heard his mother's melodious voice coming from within the house. He guessed that his parents had returned the previous night but, seeing that their son was so diligent with training, chose not to disturb him.
He quickly rushed into his room, and after a quick bath, he went to the dining room for breakfast, which was as pleasant as ever. Surprisingly, neither of his parents mentioned the recent assassination attempt. Kranos assumed they had taken care of it, although he didn't know how, he felt reassured. Having lived over ninety years in his previous life, he could sense their thoughts through subtle gestures.
training grounds as usual to work on his sword techniques. Later, he planned to cultivate. He had already devised a training schedule for the next few weeks until Donald returned. He would cultivate the Knight's Breathing Technique for half a month, then focus on the Orthodox Path and the Time Path for ten days, and finally spend the remaining five days assimilating his sword techniques to his body's newfound strength.
…
After a full day of training, Kranos went for a walk to get some fresh air. He made his way toward the royal library, which he visited occasionally. Although there wasn't much to gain there since he basically had all the important knowledge, he had developed a habit of studying chess under the guidance of his first teacher, Mark.
From what Kranos could tell, the game of chess was a truly intriguing game. It had the subtle hints of being in control, something that Kranos loved deeply; as such, he easily took a fancy to the game of chess. Under Mark's tutelage, Kranos had improved rapidly, going from constant defeat to occasional victory.
Although I knew about chess in my past life, I never took an interest. I thought it was just a game. Besides, back then, most of my time was spent researching ancient artifacts and relics.
As he approached the royal library, he slowed his pace. He had developed a habit of eavesdropping on the guards to stay informed about the latest events in the capital. This time he heard something that astonished him greatly.
"Hey, did you hear? Raphael, the sixth son, sent just two subordinates last night… and they wiped out all the assassin organizations," one guard said with excitement.
"No way! Seriously? That happened, and I didn't even hear about it?" Another replied in disbelief.
"What could they have done to anger him? Did they try to assassinate his wife? Or son?"
Everyone was curious and puzzled at the same time as to why Raphael would suddenly turn hostile to all the assassin organizations. Unfortunately, their questions would undoubtedly remain unanswered.
Kranos, listening from a distance, was stunned by the strength of his father. If just two subordinates could do that… How terrifying must he be himself? "Dad, is this your answer?" Kranos smiled faintly as he stepped into the library.
He understood the underlying meaning of his father's move clearly. His father's actions were saying, Look, son, I destroyed the whole assassin organization casually. What can't I do?
Truly just like a game of chess.