RE: LORD OF TIME

William and Kalsh made their way toward the top of the volcano.

Eve wasn’t with them, as William had already sent her out of the volcanic area. After all, bringing such a young child along on such a dangerous mission wasn’t a good idea.

Of course, he hadn’t left her alone but had left her with Number One, who had immediately taken her underground, where everything was safe.

During the last few hours, William had not only gotten information about the Superior Fire Spirit from Kalsh but had also learned more about the power system of this world.

’Using Spirit Orbs and Black Blood Crystals, huh...’

William thought inwardly as he walked with Kalsh.

According to what Kalsh had told him, the easiest way for a person to become strong was to use Spirit Orbs and Black Blood Crystals to make their body and soul more powerful.

People who used Ability Cores from Crawlers to gain abilities relied on their soul power and stamina to use those abilities. The stronger their physical bodies and soul power were, the stronger their abilities would be.

People of the Black Tower, who fused with entire Crawlers, and even those from the Red and Green Towers... Everyone used Spirit Orbs and Black Blood Crystals to become stronger.

However, unlike William, who directly consumed Spirit Orbs, people here didn’t consume Spirit Orbs and Black Blood Crystals directly.

Both Spirit Orbs and Black Blood Crystals needed to be refined by the Green Tower before people could use them.

As for why they couldn’t be used directly, it was because of the residual power of the Crawlers within the Spirit Orbs and Black Blood Crystals.

According to Kalsh, if a person consumed too many Spirit Orbs or Black Blood Crystals without refining them, their body would mutate into a grotesque monster.

He had seen many people who directly consumed Spirit Orbs and Black Blood Crystals because they couldn’t afford to have them refined by the Green Tower. As a result, they had gradually mutated into monsters.

Of course, even after being refined by the Green Tower, the number of Spirit Orbs and Black Blood Crystals a person could consume was limited.

This limit entirely depended on a person’s compatibility with Spirit Orbs and Black Blood Crystals.

The higher their compatibility, the more they could consume over time to strengthen themselves.

’I haven’t consumed a Black Blood Crystal yet, but I have consumed a lot of Spirit Orbs over the last few days...’

William glanced at his sea of consciousness and noticed that the black color, which had been faint a few days ago, had darkened considerably.

’Mutating into a monster, huh...’

William shook his head inwardly and stopped paying attention to it.

After hearing everything from Kalsh, the thing that attracted him the most wasn’t the White, Black, or Green Tower.

Instead, it was the Red Tower, which had seemed unremarkable at first.

The reason for this was its training methods.

According to Kalsh, the people of the Red Tower used monster blood, plants, and many other things to temper their bodies to the extreme.

It was very similar to Body Forging Techniques.

William’s Gale Tiger Body Forging Technique was of a very low level and could only be practiced up to the Star Lord level at best.

His body was already comparable to that of a Star Lord, and even if he practiced the technique to its peak, its effects would be limited.

However, if he could get his hands on a good technique from the Red Tower, he could make remarkable progress even in the Trial Realm despite the lack of Aether Energy.

’I wonder if I can get my hands on their techniques after going to Varhan City...’

William took a deep breath before shifting his attention toward the top of the volcano, where the Fire Mandawa and the Superior Fire Spirit were.

’But before that, let’s deal with the matter at hand.’

Because of Kalsh’s earlier attempt to steal the Fire Mandawa, many Fire Spirits were patrolling the volcano and the closer they got to the top, the more fire spirits they encountered.

For the first few minutes, they were fine, as they could move while hiding behind solidified lava protruding from the volcano’s walls.

However, as they got closer to the top, the hiding places began to disappear, and they could only move through open areas, doing their best not to attract the Fire Spirits’ attention.

Suddenly, just as William and Kalsh walked out from behind the side of the wall, a Minor Fire Spirit floating freely nearby noticed them.

Kalsh’s expression changed when he saw this and he was about to use his lightning power to kill the spirit when, suddenly, something brushed past his body, and the next second—

Puff!

A fist tore through the Fire Spirit’s body, grabbed its core, and pulled it out, killing it instantly.

”Don’t use your lightning power unless absolutely necessary. It makes too much noise,” William said in a low voice, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

”Ugh...” Kalsh awkwardly lowered his hand, and the lightning he had gathered immediately dissipated.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but marvel at William’s physical strength.

’To have such a powerful body, he must have consumed a lot of Black Blood Crystals over time.’

A look of envy flashed through Kalsh’s eyes as although his compatibility with Spirit Orbs was very high, the same couldn’t be said for Black Blood Crystals.

Because of his low compatibility with Black Blood Crystals, he couldn’t consume too many of them. As a result, his physical strength wasn’t particularly high.

William and Kalsh continued moving forward, occasionally encountering Fire Spirits.

However, thanks to William’s swift actions, they safely reached the top of the volcano without attracting any attention.

”That’s the Fire Mandawa,” Kalsh said, pointing into the mouth of the volcano.

William followed the direction of his finger and saw a patch of dark orange plants growing amid the flowing lava inside the volcano’s mouth.

The plant was about thirty centimeters tall, with diamond-like leaves covered in fire.

Despite growing amid the flowing lava, it didn’t burn to ashes. Instead, it radiated powerful vitality, demonstrating its extraordinary nature.

”That Superior Fire Spirit is also inside the lava, right?” William asked after staring at the Fire Mandawa for a few seconds.

”Yes,” Kalsh nodded. ”It must be sleeping inside the lava.”

William took a deep breath and spoke seriously.

”I’ll attract its attention, just as we discussed earlier. Do your best to take the Fire Mandawa while I keep it busy.”

After speaking, William didn’t wait for Kalsh’s reply and walked to the edge of the Volcano, looking down.

He pointed a finger at the flowing lava, and the next instant—

Crackle!

An arc of Blood Lightning shot out, striking the wall beside the volcano’s mouth.

BOOM!

A small section of the volcano’s wall immediately collapsed, creating a loud noise.

William did nothing else and simply pulled his hand back.

He waited for a few seconds and soon noticed the lava inside the volcano churning.

Suddenly—

ROAR!

A loud roar erupted from within the lava, and a salamander-like creature covered in blazing fire emerged, glaring at William in anger.