"Thank you... for choosing to be with me," he said softly.
Both of them blinked, startled by the sudden shift in his tone.
"Master? What is this all about? Are you okay?" Linda asked, tilting her head. "Why... why are there tears in your eyes?"
"Is something wrong, Master?" Celia added gently.
Nolan raised a hand in surprise, brushing at his cheek. Wetness clung to his skin. He let out a small, shaky laugh.
"Oh... tears?" He wiped them quickly. "I didn’t even realize."
The tears shimmered under the crystal glow, but they weren’t of sorrow—they were tears of joy.
Celia, and Linda fell asleep, exhausted, lying on the glowing crystal ground of the dungeon. Nolan sat near them, watching as they rested, thinking about how much stronger they had become. Yet one thought refused to leave his mind.
Lyra said my true S-Rank ability is Time Manipulation. Everything else—even flight—is secondary. But how?
He clenched his fist. I can already stop time, but Lyra said I’ll one day be able to rewind someone’s life, even reverse their age. At my peak, I could restart the entire world... or end it. That power is terrifying, but it’s mine. For now, I need to focus on increasing my capacity. If I master it, then no one will be able to move—not even a fallen archangel.
He remained lost in thought until, after an hour and a half, Linda stirred awake. Her eyes widened when she realized she was still in the dungeon.
"Oh, Master, I’m sorry. I slept without realizing," Linda said.
"It’s fine," Nolan replied with a faint smile. "You were exhausted from using so much mana. I’m proud of you."
Her eyes softened. "Thank you, Master. I’ll hold those words until my last breath."
Nolan looked at her seriously. "Linda, I saw what you did. You could sense every detail around you—the air, the flow of energy. You filled your senses with mana."
"Yes... I don’t know how, but I felt my range expand. By pouring mana into my senses, I could perceive everything," Linda explained.
"Stand up," Nolan said.
"Can you do it again? Be honest if you’re still too weak," Nolan warned.
"I’ve recovered enough. Don’t worry, Master—I can," she answered confidently.
She drew her bow, her expression calm and determined.
"Good. Fight me," Nolan said, narrowing his eyes. "I want to see if you can keep up with my speed."
Linda’s eyes glowed green as she spread mana through her body. She closed her eyes, yet it felt as if she could see the world perfectly.
"Master, I’m ready," she said firmly.
"Then let’s begin. Minimum speed."
Nolan dashed sideways, but Linda instantly sensed his movement. She loosed an arrow, forcing Nolan to twist at the last second.
"Impressive," he said as the arrow grazed his sleeve.
"Now... average speed."
His movements grew sharper, faster. Linda fired again, struggling to keep up—but she did, barely managing to track him.
"She can keep up with my average... good," Nolan thought.
He stepped back, widening the distance between them. His eyes narrowed.
"Are you ready?" he shouted.
In a blink, Nolan vanished. In less than a second, he was behind her, lightly tapping her shoulder.
She turned, smiling despite her heavy breaths. "You’re incredible..."
"You did well," Nolan said softly.
Without thinking, Linda jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"Master, you were so fast... it felt as if you never even moved," she whispered, her voice full of admiration.
Celia slowly woke up, rubbing her eyes. She blinked and then noticed Linda clinging to Nolan’s body. Pouting, she stood up.
"Hey! So you’re having fun with Master without me? And you didn’t even bother to wake me up?" Celia complained, stomping over. She grabbed Nolan’s hand possessively.
Nolan only chuckled at the sight of them bickering. "Alright, that’s enough. I think it’s about time we leave this dungeon," he said calmly.
"Someone, Zuru," Nolan called out, summoning his great boar. With a flash, the massive creature appeared. The three of them climbed onto Zuru’s broad back, and with a powerful leap, he carried them out of the dungeon’s crystal cavern.
Finally, sunlight greeted them. Nolan stretched his arms. "At last, we’re out of that dungeon... but what’s the time now? I can’t even tell."
"It looks like afternoon," Celia replied, shielding her eyes against the light.
Linda nodded. "Yeah, feels like it."
"Then let’s just get going," Nolan said. They rode back toward Sindra, eventually reaching the Adventurer’s Guild.
Inside, the familiar receptionist looked up and brightened. "Hey! Good to see you again," Ella greeted warmly.
Nolan walked to the counter. "We went into the dungeon," he said plainly.
"Then please, place any monster cores on the desk so we can process them," Ella instructed with a professional smile.
But Nolan shook his head. "No, I’m not going to do that. If I do, people are going to make a fuss. Remember the last time? With that Golem? I only swiped it aside, but the entire guild treated it like something extraordinary. If I reveal what I brought this time, it’ll be an even bigger mess."
Ella’s brows furrowed. "What do you mean? What kind of core are we talking about?"
"You’ll see. But not here. Let’s go to the Guild Master’s office," Nolan said firmly.
Celia and Linda followed behind as Ella led the way.
They entered a well-kept office where the Guild Master sat at his desk, calmly sipping tea while reading a newspaper. Without looking up, he spoke in his deep voice.
"Well, well... isn’t this Nolan? You’re back again," Lucan said with a knowing smile.
"I’m here to give you a core," Nolan said as he stepped closer.
Lucan leaned back in his chair, sipping his tea. "Yeah? Well, good. I hope it’s something I can actually help you with."
"Look and see it," Nolan replied. Then he glanced at Celia. "Celia, bring it out."
"Storage box," Celia whispered. She stretched out her hand, and in a flash of light, two massive cores thudded onto the Guild Master’s desk.