Sylas stood before a barrier. It didn't feel like one, and staring at it felt to him like he was staring into the far-off distance. However, he trusted the feeling he was getting from the rune.
That was because while making his way here, Sylas had accomplished something else.
The runes and their interaction with his telekinesis were far too interesting to pass up. So after some thought, he changed his mind and chose to use them as the foundation for his Gene Crystal. And the result had given him quite a bit of information.
[Spellbound Ventriloquist]
[Your words give life. Infuse your Will and project with your Charisma, giving your voice power others couldn't fathom.]
[+7 Will; +7 Charisma (Fragmented)]
[+14 Will; + 14 Charisma (Common)]
[+28 Will; + 28 Charisma (Bronze)]
[>Requirements to Unlock (Bronze)]
[(7) Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Speed, Wisdom]
[Will exists in all things. The written word and the voice are all things, whether others realize it or not, that are infused with the Will and projected with Charisma. See through the truth and lies in people's words, translate languages you've never seen before, comprehend ancient runes of long-forgotten disciplines. The world is an open book to you.]
[+7 Will; +7 Charisma (Fragmented)]
[+14 Will; + 14 Charisma (Common)]
[+28 Will; + 28 Charisma (Bronze)]
[>Requirements to Unlock (Bronze)]
[(7) Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Speed, Wisdom]
[You can sense the Laws of the world and read its language. The runes call out to you. At first sight, your Will can reach out and pluck them from the jaws of the world, making them your power.]
[+7 Will; +7 Charisma (Fragmented)]
[+14 Will; + 14 Charisma (Common)]
[+28 Will; + 28 Charisma (Bronze)]
[>Requirements to Unlock (Bronze)]
[(7) Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Speed, Wisdom]
It was hard for Sylas to choose this time once again. It was a familiar feeling from the last time he had used a Gene Crystal. Still, it opened up a new world to him. It taught him a lot about this world and what kind of secrets it might still hold.
He would also have a good opportunity to use the troll and human corpses he had been keeping ever since the battle at Casstle Main.
The trouble was that he had no idea which one to pick. They all sounded good.
He was leaning toward Enchanted Scribe. This was because he could feel the kind of power these runes held. He wouldn't even be in this situation to begin with if not for these runes. Trapping someone in a mirror world … just what kind of power was that?
But then again, Will Scholar was very enticing, especially to a person like him. There was so much about this world that he didn't understand. If he could understand language and see through lies using his Will, how much of a benefit would that be?
For example, back when he was in the Slithering Madness Dungeon, there were all sorts of runes and engravings he couldn't even begin to understand. If he had had this Gene Talent, couldn't he have seen through what was happening a step ahead?
Now that he thought about it, there were runes everywhere he went. In the Basilisk King Dungeon, there were green markings and runes that covered all of the walls. He had ignored them because he couldn't read them. In fact, he had even thought that they were just pretty designs.
But was that really the case?
Then there was Spellbound Ventriloquist. It was probably the one that would give the largest and most immediate impact to his combat strength. It scaled directly with his Will and Charisma, so it would synergize perfectly with Madness. If he could speak words into Skills, would there be very many who could defeat him? At the very least, he had yet to see anyone with a Will as strong as his own just in base, let alone when Madness was applied.
Sylas' indecision was great, and though he didn't want to admit it, part of the fear was due to how many things just slipped out of his control in this world.
Had he even made the right decision last time? When was the next time he would end up trapped in a world one? And would he even be lucky enough to escape when it next happened?
In the end, Sylas couldn't calm the voices of doubt in his mind. He never hesitated when he had already made a decision, but what about when he hadn't?
He truly didn't know.
So, he decided to wait. Since he already had all the Genes he needed in his Madness Key, soon enough, he would either run into a situation where the answer was forced upon him, or one that made the other two options meaningless.
For the time being… he would take the cautious approach.
With a deep breath, Sylas flooded a rune on the disk with his telekinesis and pushed at the barrier in front of him.
As expected, it immediately shattered.
What he didn't expect was to immediately hear the sounds of battle on the other side.
It had been almost an entire day now since he had been trapped in this place. Could it be that he was locked in time as well? Or was it something else?
Was manipulating time really so cheap? First, he had lost three months in the Slithering Madness Dungeon, now this?
Soon, Sylas realized that the issue wasn't time at all. In fact, he was probably a bit screwed given the situation.
There was a familiar trio up ahead, and they were all battling the same beast. Bloom and Mark were nowhere in sight, and the portal that he had been looking for this entire time was looming large in the distance.
The trio was clearly doing their best to hold the beasts here at bay, stopping them from entering the portal and wreaking havoc on Lone Star.
And now Sylas was caught in the middle of it.
His gaze landed on a looming creature with a shell of bright red.
[Sphincterochila Snail (FFF-)]