Dante greeted with a tone of indifference, dripping with heavy sarcasm, "Well, well, well... if it isn't utterly enchanting to see your lovely faces again. Please, tell me what brings you to darken my chamber on this fine day?"
With a haughty tone, Theia picked up Damien and remarked, "Hmph, you should be on your knees thanking me for helping an inferior being like you."
Despite being in her "soul form," Theia was able to hold Damien's physical body, which came as a surprise.
Moreover, her body seemed more tangible compared to Elrid's, whose head was currently drooping.
His position in Dante's subconscious had undergone a significant change, as he went from being the primary boss to the last of three, with Damien usurping his position and Theia naturally being in charge.
Elrid couldn't help but feel livid that the Matriarch had been won over by the evil cuteness of the usurper, who had stolen his rightful place.
However, in the face of the fierce nature of the beast, Elrid's anger had given way to fear.
He never understood how such a beast could arrive in the Abyss Dimension. He asked Theia but she said something about telling the whole "family".
Their arrival was prompted by the connection between the "Immersive Editor" and the little beast, which explained Elrid's curious expression despite his sadness in the presence of the malevolent creature.
To be honest, Elrid was not much older than Dante in terms of age. While he had lived longer as an Abs, if his age were translated into a human age scale, he would still be considered a teenager, just a few years older than Dante.
He admitted to having limited knowledge about most things and relied on instinct to guide Dante during their initial period together.
However, when Theia came into the picture, things changed significantly. Despite this, Dante remained oblivious to the changes as he focused solely on training with Theia.
Dante could not afford to make any mistakes because he had taken on more than he could handle, going from possessing three Cursed Brands and Abyssal Energy to having five elemental mana signatures.
The possibility of awakening even more signatures was on the horizon if Dante fulfilled certain requirements.
At times, he found himself wondering if he should have been more cautious with his desires, as his pursuit of power and the rewards that pursuit earned him, seemed to be spiraling out of control.
On a positive note, Dante had discovered that Altered Psyche had merged with the essence of Abyssal Energy, as both had a similar suction-type ability.
This merger also explained the change in the color scheme of his tattoo, which contrasted with Magnus' tattoo.
Unfortunately, due to Dante's current low level of skill in manipulating Abyssal Energy, the ability that Magnus had given him was not yet fully utilized.
Theia recognized this and only imparted information that was relevant to his immediate needs, leaving Dante in the dark about many other things.
There was only so much that Dante could handle at once, and the prideful Goddess knew this well.
Dante spoke in a monotonous tone as he confronted Theia, who was absentmindedly petting Damien's soft fur. "What is it that you want now?" he asked again after Theia just ignored his earlier question.
"Instead of helping me to master my forms quickly, you allowed me to enter the trials half-heartedly. When I was on the brink of death, having used all my means, you were preoccupied with your thoughts of your stupid anime."
Theia rolled her eyes at Dante's comment. "You know very well that I was not thinking about anime. I was simply busy with other things."
"Like what?" Dante asked, raising an eyebrow.
"None of your concern," Theia replied, her tone prideful.
"Furthermore, I demand that you return Damien to me. He has been complacent for far too long. Even after nearly causing my death by opening the Undying Dimension, all he has done is be lazy and proud. If it weren't for the fact that it would harm a part of my soul, I would have cut him down by now..."
Dante was saying just about to launch into what could only be described as a rant when Theia interrupted him, causing a frown to crease his typically impassive expression in response to her rudeness.
"Hmph, you'll do no such thing. As I mentioned before, it was I who instructed Damien to modify the integrity of that substandard dungeon.
I even lent him some of my energy to make it possible. You should be grateful to him, as he saved both your life and Elrid's," Theia retorted.
"I am grateful but.." Theia cut him off again, saying, "As I have previously stated, utilizing Abyssal Energy recklessly in your human form would have resulted in your demise.
Without awakening the Curse of Theia and becoming an Absalom, you would have been consumed by your own emotions. Moreover, you are only able to utilize the Curse of Theia due to my assistance.
However, even with my guidance, you are still walking a thin line. Therefore, you must become stronger quickly," Theia declared to Dante.
"But....." Dante was saying before Theia cut him off again.
"Hmph...now back to the main reason I am here. Thanks to an unknown mutation, Damien an original beast in the Abyss Dimension I created, has evolved into a magical beast which therefore allowed you to form a contract with him.
The Immersive Editor skill is a Unique Skill you gained after contracting him. Unique Skills are special skills that appear only once.
There may be other skills that mirror Unique Skills but they can never match them in utility and the boosts they give their user." Theia said to Dante as she explained the situation around his skill.
Dante listened carefully, trying to absorb all the new information. "So, the Immersive Editor skill is unique because it only appears once?" he asked. The frown that plastered his face a while ago had receded.
"Yep. And that's what makes it unique and also there are others in the Abyss Dimension. All of my past abilities have been engraved into the dimension in different forms."
Despite Theia's previous impoliteness, Dante chose to overlook it, recognizing that she was indeed an immense asset.
His entire trajectory in swordsmanship had been altered by Abyssal Energy's presence, and it was this woman who was the source of that energy.
Also, given that this being may have once ruled the world, it seemed reasonable to silence a mere human child.
The meteor shower that Dante had witnessed in the Undying Dimension had left a profound impact on him. Nevertheless, it seemed that now, Theia was unable to recreate such marvels in the "real world".
Hence the reason she merged her soul with Dante, granting him access to her expertise through firsthand experience. By slaying the beasts of The Abyss Dimension, he would gain a chance to level up his mana signature and gain other abilities.
Although it appeared that she expected something in exchange, Dante hoped to return the favor as long as it didn't clash with his objectives.
"I am also here to give you a piece of advice that the Abyss Dimension even though something I created, the circumstances I was in were different from a certain dark period of my life and even now.
"The most I can do is tweak it by adding and subtracting and that was what I did to awaken the elements within you. Most of the things are off my hands since the dimension is a world, it was evolving even when I was "dead"."
"Also the Immersive Editor skill will be the basis of all your skills from now on. It should address all the issues that emerged after awakening all these diverse powers.
"This Unique Skill will come a long way to help. It will reduce the predicted time for your third-tier form from a year to about a few months.
"Additionally, when you reach level 50, Damien will be able to join you, as that is approximately his current strength level.
"Your little human friend will answer the other nonsensical questions. I am done and once again keep things interesting or I'll..." Theia gave her stern warning and left without allowing Dante to retort to his position on how Damien should be treated.
As they departed, Damien's face displayed an unmistakable smirk as he jeered at Dante, "I'll be seeing you soon, little master."
Dante heard the cute but annoying voice reverberate in his head. He shook his head in sympathy for the small wolf, knowing that Theia's ability to assist the pup was limited.
And, Dante was determined to establish himself as the ultimate authority when the opportunity arose.
But he quickly abandoned his initial urge to assert his dominance as the one with the most control in the contract over Damien, his attention instead captivated by the floating message before him.
[Ding!!! The Immersive Editor skill will be activated if.....]
As he read the System message, his earlier excitement about rapidly mastering every skill and effortlessly blazing through them began to fade away rapidly.
As he became aware that his circumstances were one of the rare examples that demonstrated the world's adherence to a universal law, a wry smile crept onto his face.