Two hours was actually still a rather tight window.
Daniel did everything he could to maximize his efficiency, gathering every useful material he could find.
Then, using Flashback, he reappeared at other locations to continue his work.
The truth was that even the sheer size of the Stormy Sea alone far exceeded his imagination.
After spending hours pushing his way through the underwater caverns, what he found waiting beyond was an even deeper ocean without end.
Up until now, Daniel still had not reached the bottom of the sea.
He had to admit that the depth of the Stormy Sea was beyond anything he could have expected.
In the time that followed, Daniel activated cycle after cycle of Time Stream.
Meanwhile, Milla’s expression grew increasingly strange.
She could sense that space and time themselves were shifting, though she had no way of confirming it.
Of course, Daniel had no intention of answering her unspoken questions.
As long as he said nothing, all of Milla’s suspicions could remain nothing more than guesses.
"Hurry up, we should be on our way. This time I want to visit the Chaotic Hills, the Crystal Forest, and the War Academy..."
Milla was filled with confusion in her heart, but since Daniel had chosen not to explain, she did not press the issue.
Instead, she quickly resumed her task of opening portals.
...
After countless repetitions, Daniel managed to uncover several more precious materials in those new regions.
These were the indispensable components he would eventually need for synthesizing God Rank Skills.
On the twenty-first repetition, Daniel finally succeeded in arriving at the Chaotic Hills.
This was a completely different plane, and it was also Daniel’s first time setting foot here.
Upon summoning the Tree of Faith, Daniel encountered a being known as Kogmaw.
Kogmaw was a devotee of the God of Elements, though much like Milla, he had long since shed that identity.
Once someone reached the level of demigod, if they wished to continue growing stronger, they had to carve a path of their own.
To advance from demigod to Fake God, they were required to cast off their role as god devotee.
That was the very reason why Milla was no longer the devotee of the Luck Goddess.
After stepping into Fake God level, the next step was to begin gathering one’s own devotees.
Even Aurelia and the Luck Goddess had both begun receiving followers back when they had only just reached the Fake God level.
Yet from what Daniel could see now, even after casting off the identity of god devotee, one could still continue serving their god.
The divine blessings bestowed by the god were not necessarily lost in the process.
The Kogmaw standing before him belonged to a void race originating from the abyss.
He resembled an insect, ugly in overall appearance, yet with oddly soft and gentle facial lines.
His size, however, was much larger than Daniel expected—while not gigantic, he was still as big as a small truck.
Daniel immediately employed Psychic Perception, hoping to glimpse into Kogmaw’s thoughts and learn more about the God of Elements, a god he knew very little about.
But upon peering into Kogmaw’s mind, Daniel could only smile wryly.
For in that creature’s head, there was nothing at all besides food.
Every thought revolved around eating, as though he were perpetually hungry and never satisfied.
"I’m so hungry, what should I eat next?"
"Maybe I should eat that ruler over there. He looks delicious."
"No, I’d better not. After all, he’s the only living being I’ve found here that I can actually talk to."
"Still, the yak meat around here is simply incredible."
"..."
Kogmaw opened his gaping maw and stretched out his tongue, wrapping it around a yak he had raised nearby, swallowing it whole in one gulp.
After a few casual chews, his expression was filled with lingering satisfaction.
"Ah, nothing compares to the yak of the Chaotic Hills. Its blood is so hot and sweet, the flavor so exquisite—I could never tire of it."
On the other side, Daniel quietly activated the Eye of Insight, observing Kogmaw’s attributes.
What he discovered shocked him deeply.
With every meal Kogmaw devoured, his attributes increased ever so slightly.
The growth was not enormous in each instance, yet the problem was that Kogmaw was always eating.
Which meant that his attributes were constantly climbing higher and higher without pause.
At this point, Kogmaw’s raw attributes had reached a level that was utterly terrifying.
Even without any skill amplification, his stats were ten times greater than Milla’s.
But that did not mean Kogmaw was invincible within this rank.
On the contrary, his powers came with heavy limitations.
For instance, his need for constant feeding.
If he ever stopped eating, his attributes would steadily decline.
The longer he went without food, the sharper the drop became.
That was why Kogmaw could always be found eating no matter where he was.
After watching for a while, Daniel tried a test.
He launched a mental pollution attack, then used Time Stream to return to the moment before striking.
Through this experiment, he realized that mental pollution had absolutely no effect on Kogmaw.
This meant that at his current level, Daniel had no way of killing Kogmaw.
The reason mental pollution failed was rather frustrating in its simplicity.
The ability only applied a corruption-type debuff.
Against ordinary monsters, it was more than enough to kill instantly.
But against a being like Kogmaw, it wasn’t even enough to break through his defenses.
Naturally, no real damage could be dealt.
From the look of things, the only weapon Daniel could use to hurt Kogmaw at all would be the Primordial Core Weapon.
He had to admit, Kogmaw’s strength was tremendous, ranking him among the most powerful demigods.
Of course, Daniel hadn’t come here looking for a fight with him.
Once the mist around him cleared, Daniel revealed himself openly before Kogmaw.
The moment he did so, Kogmaw sensed his presence at once.
"A human? You came to find me?"
Daniel gave him a light smile and answered calmly.
"I was just passing through. Curiosity, nothing more."
Kogmaw’s face broke into a surprised grin.
Then, without a care, he wrapped his tongue around another yak and gulped it down with relish.
"What’s so curious about this? It’s just eating. If you don’t have any other business here, then please leave me be. Don’t disturb me while I enjoy my rare feast."