Atesh flew forward. Below him he felt a hundred million souls. It took some time to leave beyond the scope of the barrier. He wasn't flying at full speed. He was just relaxing after having his incarnation get destroyed.

Soon he reached the end of this barrier. It was shaped like a sphere. He felt ahead of him was some souls. But there were only a few. Instead of it being millions in his vicinity. He only felt around 12.

"I see... surrounding this continent is ocean once again."

"But these people are the first people I've met not isolated by others."

Atesh landed on the deck of the ship.

Before the people on board could react.

"Sleep!"

He used sovereign soul to put everyone into sleep. Almost everyone passed out. But the captain resisted his command!

"Impressive!" Even the sirens on Gaia's island couldn't resist his mental commands. This human was powerful.

The captain tackled Atesh. Both of them crashed against the edge of the boat, shattering the railing. They crashed into the water. The captain wasn't walking on water, but was moving weirdly on top like a skipping stone as he pushed Atesh back.

He started to slam his fist into Atesh's head. But Atesh used his will to shield himself.

But then the captain flexed. His upper clothes broke apart as his muscles enlarged. He then started to punch so fast that it created a sound like thunder. Atesh actually started to feel the force through his will.

His will was about to shatter!

Atesh hugged the captain and flew so high up, one couldn't even make out the boat.

"You!? You are a wizard!?"

Atesh was excited.

"So that's what they are called? Interesting."

Atesh tried to search this man's soul.

But sovereign mind warned him that there was a ban on this man's soul. Not only that. His soul was powerful enough to ignore his subconscious influence. In other words, the illusion he casted over himself was seen through!

"I have offended the grown-ups!" The captain spoke.

"Please ignore my offense! I..."

Atesh cut him off.

"I wonder if you could survive a fall from here."

Atesh let him go and watched him fall.

"Ahhhh!"

Atesh caught him before he had fallen far.

"Tell me..." Atesh didn't want to reveal his ignorance. But it couldn't be helped. He decided right there, that after he got information from this human. He would kill him.

"What exactly is a wizard? Are you one? Where can I find them?"

The human looked at him in confusion. He was an official wizard, right? How else could he withstand his beating and fly? Maybe this was a test?

"Wizards are existences that can harness the world's power and make it their own. I am not one. I am a grand knight. I am a rather powerful one... But I'm no match for a wizard. They are too mysterious."

"I see. Where can I find them?"

"...I don't know. I am just a grand knight. It is said that a legendary wizard opened up another dimension. That all wizards with talent go to this blessed land. But I am unsure if this is just myth. I have only ever interacted with acolytes."

"Acolytes?"

"I do know some information about the first 3 stages. Before becoming an official wizard. You become a level 1 acolyte. They are able to manipulate the energy in the air, but are unable to perform spells..."

"A level 2 acolyte is able to cast rank 0 spells."

"A level 3 acolyte is the preparation stage to becoming a wizard. That's all I know!"

Atesh laughed.

"Well... I'm sure my questions might confuse you. It is better to let you die. You know too much. You also know what I look like." Atesh thought that he needed to upgrade his illusion. Even grand knights could see through it.

Atesh let go of the captain. But he grabbed his foot.

"Wait! I have some information that may interest you!!!"

"Oh? Tell me."

Atesh wrapped his will around the captain and the captain started to float.

"This!? You can give me the power to fly!?"

Atesh smiled.

"I am a wizard after all..."

"So what special information do you have for me?"

"How do I know you won't drop me after I tell you the information?"

"It'll depend on my mood. Do you want to live or not?"

"...Fine."

"I was invited by an acolyte to explore a ruin of an official mage! They aren't with my crew. But I know the location of the ruin!"

"This is an opportunity to change ones fate. Even you... an official wizard may find resources of another wizard. Since you are so powerful. You can monopolize the treasures!"

Atesh frowned.

"A wizard's ruins may be dangerous. But it sounds fun. But I can't let my clumsiness be seen through by the party."

"Alright. I'll come with you!"

"But I have a condition. If anybody ask. I am not a wizard. I am just a part of your crew."

The captain laughed and asked:

"What is your name?"

Atesh wasn't pretending to be Jack anymore. So he carelessly said his name.

"Atesh."

Atesh was an elf. He didn't consider himself a Sostid at the moment. Because it wouldn't make sense for an elf that was born from nature to have a surname.

"My name is Jim. Jim Sostid!"

Atesh had a weird look on his face. Had he run into family? He then thought about it. It had been thousands of years since he left his family. This was enough time for many generations to pass. But how had his family spread outside of the main continent?

Atesh then remembered that the patriarch had a long lifespan. He had expected him to have some channels to supernatural power. But at the time, he didn't have the abilities he had now.

Jim seemed to notice his silence.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Are you alright? It seems even wizards know about our famous bloodline!"

"Yes..."

Atesh flew down and landed on the ship. Jim looked around at his crew and spoke:

"Did you really have to kill them?"

"They are asleep..."

"Oh! I might have overreacted. I guess an elf wouldn't easily take another person's life."

Atesh waved his hands and the crew woke up.

"Let's head to the ruins!"

A few hours later. Atesh saw other boats in the distance. Soon three boats were side by side.

The acolyte was wearing white robes. He spoke to Jim about the ruins and then was surprised.

"An elf? Is he your slave?"

Jim was startled.

"This elf is... part of my crew."

The acolyte seemed to be interested.

"You aren't radiating energy particles. You are no wizard. But your vitality. The way your body has matured. You are definitely too old to be working as part of a knights crew."

Jim was surprised. As expected of a official wizard! He could easily hide the fact that he was a wizard from this acolyte.

Atesh ignored the comments of the acolyte and was silent.

This seemed to provoke the acolyte.

"Your temperament is excellent. I have some friends at the academy that would have a lot of fun with you. How about you become my slave?"

"Not interested."

"A shame... Well. My name is Lin. If you change your mind... It is far safer for you to have a master. Based on your vitality. I have no idea how you have survived up till this point as a free man."

The 'party' consisted of two grand knights and one acolyte.

"Let's go!" Lin spoke as he was about to open the ruin that seemed to be underwater.

"Wait!" Jim interrupted.

"He is coming with us!"

"What? Why?"

Jim felt that a mature elf should be quite wise. Perhaps his age and wisdom could help in the ruins. So he asked:

"How old are you?"

Atesh didn't lie.

"Echo... how old am I?"

[ECHO]: Calculating based on vitality...

[ECHO]: 2119 years old!

"Two millenniums..."

"2,000 years!? You are a monster!" Jim was completely shocked. But the acolyte wasn't.

Atesh then spoke:

"I've been around for a long time. I don't need a master. I am vary capable."

The acolyte looked down on Atesh not just because he was an elf. But because despite being alive for two thousand years. He had no signs that he was a wizard. What sort of talent was this? A human that was two thousand years old, would be rank 4 at the minimum. How did this elf spend his time? What was he doing for all those years?

"Fine. We might need cannon fodder either way."

The acolyte took out an artifact. A whirlpool opened up by the boats. The acolyte casted a rank 0 water breathing spell on himself and the knights.

"I'm sorry. I need to conserve energy." He looked at Atesh.

"I'll be fine."

Atesh jumped off the boat and was sucked into the whirlpool.

Soon everyone entered it. They were soon trapped.

The acolyte calmed everyone down.

They were completely submerged in water.

Atesh kept his mouth closed. He wasn't an aquatic creature. But his body was different then an ordinary person's. He had been regenerated by the abyss and blessed by Gaia. Not to mention he had successfully done a bloodline changing ritual.

He could hold his breathe for a long time. It wouldn't affect him.

The acolyte casted another spell and soon everyone was able to communicate telepathically.

"Don't worry... we have entered the first level of the inheritance. This inheritance seems to be of a water mage."

They were trapped in a cube.

The first test was to check their affinity with the water element. If one couldn't survive submerged in water for 30 minutes. You would fail the first test.

The acolyte looked at Atesh with surprise.

It had already been 15 minutes. But he hadn't suffocated.

But then he thought about it. The willpower of an elf that was matured should be at this level. This made sense. It would be weird if he did fail this test.

The two grand knights were doing much worse. They were shaking and their faces looked purple. The water breathing spell was just a rank 0 version. It could only last for a few minutes.

Eventually they passed out.

Atesh was completely fine.

At the 30 minute mark. The room drained. The grand knights had physiques that surpassed most humans. They coughed out the water in their lungs and were happy to have passed the first test.

The room started to shake.

Atesh felt his senses disappear. It felt similar to being in the abyss. He became dizzy. But he used sovereign mind to figure out what was happening. He got some insights into space.

"Space fluctuations!"

He then found that was on a cement mound surrounded by water.

Because of his senses being enhanced. He could see that this water stretched on endlessly. He could also see multiple mounds. They were like mountain peaks submerged in a flood.

He saw Lin and Jim and the other grand knight.

They were surrounded by a single massive water elemental. But Atesh didn't focus on them as he found he was also facing a water elemental.

They shot high pressured water at him. So strong that it could tear a person's body apart. But the water froze in the air.

He used his will to stop the attack! He then shaped his will like a claw and went on the offensive. The water elemental was destroyed. But it wasn't that easy.

It reformed. This time into two water elementals. He then dispersed it again.

This time it became four.

"Hmm..."

"They are using the water as a source of revival. You can't brute force this part of the test."

"In the past. I was even able to devour nonexistence. So far I have mostly used that legendary skill to break through barriers."

"Even if I can absorb the water directly. It will take years to absorb all of the water."

"Where exactly will it be stored? Perhaps, it will be etched on my spirit."

Atesh lifted his hands and the four massive water elementals were isolated from the body of water.

"Devour!"

A blackhole seemed to form in his hands as water was sucked into it.

"How long it will take to drain this water?"

[ECHO]: Estimated time: 570 years!

As the water flowed in his skill. He felt the energy particles in the water separating and nourishing his body. He also felt a drop of water condensing in his sea of consciousness.

He looked at Lin and found that he had been cut in half from one of the elementals attack. Jim was also drowning. The other grand knight had died already.

Atesh ignored the water elemental trying to attack him. He dismissed his devour ability and flew towards the corpse of the acolyte. He took the artifact used to enter this place.

He then flew towards Jim and dispersed the ball of water on his head that was drowning him.

"Stay by me if you want to live."

Atesh sat crossed legged and meditated as a blackhole seemed to appear in front of him. He was surrounded in every direction by water elementals. But their attacks couldn't reach him.

He was absorbing this entire body of water...

He noticed a rather interesting mechanic from devour this time. It took an insane amount of water. But he found that the water in this dimension was magical. It was spiritual! He could feel his sea of consciousness condensing a drop of spiritual water for every hour of absorption.

40 hours later. He was interrupted by Jim.

"I'm hungry... shouldn't you pass this test and move on to the next one?"

At this point there were hundreds of water elementals frozen in the air. Jim was a little scared.

Atesh laughed.

"I'll be here for a few centuries."

Jim felt like he wasn't lying.

"I'll die without food... can you help me leave?"

"I'm busy! Find your own way out."

Atesh closed his eyes and continued to absorb. This was the longest he had ever maintained devour for. He felt this was a great opportunity.

570 years later...

All the water elementals had been absorbed. The ocean of water was completely gone! It had been fully drained.

In his sea of consciousness. He had a pool of spiritual water.

He felt his affinity with water had also increased. Although it was hard to measure.

He had only felt like a few years had passed.

"What is the function of this spiritual water?"

The dimension started to shake. He felt space fluctuations as he entered the next stage. He was trapped in a water prison.

A voice entered his head.

'You have 30 seconds to bre-'

The water prison shifted as if he had full control over it.

He had escaped in an instant!

He teleported again and found himself in the prize room.

'Congratulations... you are a worthy successor.'

There were three items on podiums in this room. A ring, a orb, and a pill.

He didn't even have to equip these items himself. The ring flew onto his finger. The orb transformed into a liquid and shot into his brain. The pill attracted his attention.

He then felt as if this dimension had become his own.

He picked up the pill and swallowed it. His sovereign mind didn't make his intuition feel danger.

The spiritual water in his sea of consciousness started to bubble. He felt the dimension was about to collapse.

He felt a sense of danger. But the pill started to dissolve in his stomach. He felt a reaction occur. It was as if his sea of consciousness was affecting reality.

A spiritual cocoon formed around his body as he entered a sleep.

The dimension finally collapsed. A normal person would've been killed or kicked out of it directly. But the dimension recognized him as the owner.

So he was in a secret location. It was neither void or abyss. It was just a layer of space between reality and the pocket dimension.

He slept for 300 years...

This part of the inheritance actually varied based on the lifespan of the successor. If a normal human inherited this legacy. They would only sleep for a few years. But he was an elf! So the transformation took a long time. There was also something mysterious happening. This was due to him absorbing all the essence of the dimension. His body was becoming a vessel connected to the water dimension.

Soon. The false space he was in collapsed and a spiritual cocoon appeared in reality. It sunk into the bottom of the ocean.

Then it started to dissolve.

Atesh opened his eyes. He was shocked at the changes in himself.

He looked in his sea of consciousness and had found that the spiritual water had done something insane. It was no longer like a normal person's sea of consciousness. It was as if the spiritual water had opened up a connection to a water dimension.

What did this mean? It meant his body was a gateway to another world. He wasn't able to travel there. But a connection had been established just like how in F554 he had a connection with the player souls.

He felt energy particles flowing in from this world. Now, even if he went to a location without sunlight or even energy particles. He wouldn't be affected at all! Instead of lasting for a few decades. He would be able to last until his lifespan ran out!

That wasn't all! He was at the bottom of the ocean. He wasn't using his will. But the pressure of the water wasn't affecting him at all.

He felt he could now travel through space with his body alone. Not only that, he was breathing underwater without a spell. It was also incredibly comfortable.

The ring he had gotten. He felt it was a storage space. He used his soul to probe and found that he was correct! It was full of treasures.

It also had techniques. Wizard meditation methods!

"What a pleasant surprise!"