"Ahhhh!!!"
Even someone as strong as Jake couldn't help but howl toward the void.
Almost simultaneously, he saw a violent burst of golden light erupt in the distance. It expanded rapidly—his vision filled with gold.
Jake felt himself swallowed by the brilliance.
That was the last thing he saw.
....
He had no idea how long had passed.
Jake slowly regained consciousness. Darkness. Still darkness?
Archon Magus rarely gets disoriented. It only takes a few split seconds to sort through memory threads. So, when Jake awoke, he was filled with the joy of success.
"Damn Right!"
A universal exclamation from any sixteen-year-old in this life.
Huh? Echoes... buzzing...
Jake stood up. He could feel solid ground beneath his feet.
A few more split seconds passed. He sorted everything out.
"Lights on. Curtains up."
Voice command.
Instantly, the room lit up. As the curtains rolled upward, the million-colored neon glow of Desire City spilled in.
"Oh, thought I was asleep, huh? Blocking the light for me? Damn tech."
A few more split seconds passed, and Jake Nickelson fully settled into his current incarnation.
Now a seasoned Archon Magus, his emotions had already been digested. The fusion of his past and present souls was complete.
Snap! Just like that. Fast.
Jake took a deep breath.
"Damn, this is the taste of freedom!"
Truth be told, he was a little excited. Otherwise, he wouldn't be blurting out phrases he'd never normally say.
He paced back and forth, switching from a sixteen-year-old boy back into his Magus Grandmaster persona. Then he sat down cross-legged, solemn-faced.
My realm! My Tear of Time!
That was his biggest concern right now.
He scanned with his Divine Perception. Though mentally prepared, his heart still sank.
My soul realm hasn't collapsed, but it's showing signs of instability. It's teetering on the edge. Worse things might happen. I don't know what exactly.
Where the hell is my Tear of Time?! That's the only thing Mom left me!
Even someone as composed as Jake felt a chill in his heart.
The Tear of Time wasn't just his only clue to finding his parents—it had saved his life twice. As a Archon Magus, he knew this pendant was no ordinary magical artifact.
And how could his mother—an enhanced human in the real world—appear in his sea of consciousness like the vast cosmos? How could she have left him this treasure?
It was a mystery of cosmic proportions.
One thing was certain: this pendant meant as much to Jake Nickelson as his own life.
He quickly calmed down and focused on the immediate issue.
The Tear of Time vanished... could it be related to me forcibly casting a mental-type spell? Maybe...
That thought prompted Jake to scan his spirit with his Divine Perception.
Found it! It was really inside his Sea of Consciousness.
The Sea of Consciousness, located at the center of the forehead, was the source of energy for mental-type magic.
Now, the Tear of Time had transformed into a violet droplet, quietly floating within.
Jake tried to communicate with it. From the Tear of Time, he sensed his mother's presence. He could feel she wasn't in danger—though it was just a feeling.
After a long while, he shook his head, a trace of disappointment surfacing.
That disappointment came from the helplessness of not truly sensing his mother's condition, and also from the frustration of gaining and losing—and regaining—a powerful magical artifact, only to find himself unable to use it.
Even someone as mentally resilient as Jake felt his state of mind waver.
Will this happen again? If the barriers of this realm seal it once more, how will I respond?
Troubles were piling up. The joy of rebirth hadn't even settled before being washed away.
But as a seasoned Archon Magus, Jake had endured countless hardships. Moments later, he composed himself and regained his spirit.
No matter how urgent or overwhelming, things had to be handled one at a time.
He first took out the storage ring and began examining it closely.
Jake knew Lord Solarius would never lie to him. Still, he hadn't taken it seriously. Realm-lock enchantments? With his Archon Magus-tier Divine Perception, how could he not unlock the next layer of this storage ring?
This kind of thing is just a restriction-type spell. Let me give it a try.
Moments passed. Nothing.
He had no idea how long he tried. Still nothing. All he could see were the few items they had tossed in earlier.
Jake: "...."
Could it be that Arcadia's restrictions differ so much from Magworldz's that only rule-bound magical energy can unlock them?
Jake kept fiddling with the ring, disappointment clouding his eyes. Another wave of frustration washed over him.
In the past, a Magus's belongings might've been valuable, but not enough to concern him. Now, things were different.
Jake was not only a mere mundane—he was stranded in a world full of danger and chaos. One misstep could mean death.
And the realm barrier that could imprison him at any moment hung over his head like a Damocles sword.
Every resource now felt precious. But reality was cruel.
Thinking of that, Jake took out the three Blueblood Crystals and two Goldthread Crystals from the ring.
He picked one Goldthread Crystal and began examining it closely.
This is… concentrated magical energy? And… this gold thread!
"what?!"
Jake Nickelson's hand trembled from sheer shock.
The Goldthread Crystal slipped from his fingers, hit the floor with a soft clink, and rolled until it tapped against a table leg—then finally came to a stop.