0.17%
From the very beginning, Leonel had been forced onto this path and his choice in the matter was quite minimal. Though, he could probably consider himself lucky. Given the track record of the Demoness, the idea of a first experiment subject succeeding was probably next to zero. The fact that he lived and breathed right now was both a miracle, and thanks to a lucky series of events.
It could be said that the healthiness he had displayed soon after his birth was more akin to the last dying sparks of a once vibrant life, almost like the second wind and glow one would radiate just before death.
That left one question, then. Where did that leave him now? Well, according to his father, his method would only work if one day he managed to withstand his seal being undone. That day had come but... the method made Leonel's lip twitch.
He was used to his father's grueling methods. If his Crafting regimen was anything to go by, there would be nothing but pain waiting for him ahead.
He still remembered how his father wanted him to reach a perfect Grade One Designation with his fingers before he even began to Crafting. Even now, he felt that that requirement was absolutely ridiculous. But then again, wasn't the requirement to start this path of progression equally as ridiculous? But he had made it already, right...?
He basically had to progress to the Seventh Dimension before he got all his ducks in a row. Only then could he return to the Third Dimension and have this unlocked to him.
His father couldn't want him to do more than that... Right? Wrong. Looking at the requirements, Leonel saw nothing but a long list of question marks. The only thing on the holographic screen that was available for actual reading were three things.
The first, he was lucky enough to have already done.
[Separate Soul from Body]. This made him feel like he could smile. He finally had a leg up and could grin with some pride. Obviously, the other two would also be things that he had already succeeded in, right?
[Reach Impetus State in all required Forces before forming any Stars].
Leonel was rendered speechless when he saw this. He had already reached the Impetus State for his Dream Force, so that was one requirement ticked off. But assuming that he followed the very same path he had before, that meant that he would need to do the same for his Vital Star Force, his Scarlet Star Force, and his Void Star Force.
This obviously referred to a true Impetus State, not one that he could push his Force to while relying on his Innate Node. That meant that even if he found his Alpha Bluestar, it would be useless in helping him to fix his current lack of comprehension.
But the third requirement made Leonel want to shed tears. It was simply impossible. He could practically hear his father's mad cackle from the afterlife. Wait, he wasn't imagining it, this damn AI was playing a recording of his father's laughter right here and now.
[Reach the Constellation Realm]
Leonel stopped running, looking around to see if he could find the cameras. There had to be a joke hidden around here somewhere. There was no way that this was an actual requirement.
The Four Seasons Realm. The Heavenly Body Realm. The Natural Light Realm. The Cosmos Realm. And only then, there was the Constellation Realm.
The first helped those of the Fourth Heaven to be capable of fighting those in the Fifth. But the last aided those of the Eighth to be capable of fighting those of the Ninth!
Of course, these were the crudest terms, an explanation that Leonel had learned of way back when he was still in the Third Dimension, and one that was likely only the teachings of the Dimensional Verse.
But this didn't change much. [Dimensional Cleanse] alone seemed to be attached to these comprehension states. When he entered the Sixth Dimension, his Heavenly Body Realm and his Stars had basically fused into one, becoming of one mind, while summoning one meant also summoning the other.
That meant that the Natural Light Realm would attach itself to the Seventh Dimension, and so forth until the Ninth and the Constellation Realm.
His father was essentially asking him to comprehend something meant for the Ninth Dimension just to unlock the ability to cultivate his method for the Third Dimension. Leonel didn't even know what to say. It felt like a practical joke. In fact, for all he knew, these were just the first three requirements in order to unlock the right to attempt the next requirement. How long would his father have him stay in the Third Dimension, exactly?Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
He was speechless.
Leonel shook his head. 'Fine, fine, old man. This better not be one of your practical jokes. I'm toying with my life here.' The screen before him blinked and a detection seemed to sweep over him before the first line was crossed out. Leonel faintly nodded to himself before his lip twitched.
The line that was crossing out the [Separate Soul from Body] requirement stopped halfway as though it was recalculating. Then, a progression bar appeared.
Leonel was stunned. For a moment, he thought it was just a normal bar. But it took him looking for a solid few seconds before he realized that there was a tiny sliver of progression, so tiny that he didn't even notice it at first. He hesitantly reached forward and tapped it.
[Soul Separation]
[Progress - 0.17%]
Leonel's finger froze. Yes, he was definitely being toyed with. Most definitely. He had definitely already separated his soul from his body. How did he know? He had been eaten alive to prove it! He could still remember every single excruciating detail. He felt his bones being chomped into, his flesh being torn off the bone, his heart being squeezed for its pulp as though it was an orange. Why was this thing telling him that he hadn't made any progress at all?!