Similar to Malachi, this entity was not present in the game, and the question mark beside its head indicated formidable strength, likely surpassing even that of Malachi.
Ivan had been disregarding the facts, brushing off Malachi's words and the existence of the Unnumbered floors. The entire reality of Oasis had become strange and elusive to him, so he focused solely on gaining power.
However, this encounter forced a harsh realization upon him—a truth that seemed forever out of reach and deeply frustrating.
"Why don't you stop with these pointless words and tell me what you truly are? What is all of this, and what does it truly mean?" Ivan demanded, his voice tinged with anger.
[ Weapon's crafting complete ]
[ Quest complete | Rewards given ]
In response, the figure's enigmatic reply only added to Ivan's confusion. "Oh, such paradise in oblivion," the figure said cryptically.
"You are not worthy of the truth right now, nor are you worthy of the lies. You currently lack the ability to face reality—the reality you have crafted—and it sickens me," the figure spoke, then Ivan began feeling disturbed and perturbed by the notification he received.
[Vagorai, the Goblin King (Lvl 62) is present]
[The boss battle has begun]
As the resonating thuds echoed through the temple following the ominous notification, Ivan realized they now faced not one, but two grave challenges. The figure before them emitted an aura of death, and moving in its presence would lead to their demise. Furthermore, to exacerbate the situation, a level 62 boss, Vagorai, emerged from the darkness of the temple, closing in on them.
"What's the point of all your words? If you intended to kill us, you could have done it already," Ivan said, attempting to find a way out of this precarious situation.
"Killing you both? Maybe that is right, it is. But yet, I can't bring myself to do it. Perhaps this makes me a coward," the figure mused, its attention momentarily shifting to the approaching colossal goblin.
"You are...way too noisy," the figure stated calmly before making a subtle swing of its staff. However, what followed was anything but subtle.
In a cataclysmic explosion, the entire temple disintegrated into bits, and the colossal goblin was reduced to mere particles as its blood rained down upon Ivan and Iris. Remarkably, they remained unharmed amidst the crimson downpour.
"Yes, where were we? Oh yes, I will not kill you. Why would you deserve death? In truth, maybe I am unable. Instead, I'll expose you to the truth. Yes, I will aid you so you can understand pure devastation much sooner," the figure declared before moving, or perhaps it did not move—it simply appeared right in front of Ivan, grasping his head.
[Time Merchant Skill: Chrono-speed was used]
"I have little time left, how ironic is that? This will be my gift to you, or curse. We will find out eventually," the figure conveyed cryptically as Ivan's forehead glowed golden from the figure's touch.
In that mysterious moment, Ivan felt a surge of unknown energy coursing through him, and his mind was flooded with images and revelations. He saw fragments of events—past, future, and maybe even parallel—colliding in a whirlwind of time's essence, but remembered none. It was as if the boundaries of reality itself were bending and merging, and Ivan was caught in the eye of this temporal storm.
[The Time Merchant has bestowed favor upon you]
[You have acquired Temporal Affinity]
[You have gained a new class: Temporal Shaper]
[Copyable Skills: 1]
"Well, I must depart now, but we shall meet again," the enigmatic figure said as a rip in space began to open once more.
"Oh, it seems I have interrupted your adventure. Allow me to rectify that," the figure remarked, gesturing with his fingers. Instantly, the eradicated goblin returned to form, roaring with renewed aggression.
[Vagorai, the Goblin King (Lvl 80) is present]
"Ah, it seems I may have made it stronger. Well, I'm sure you will deal with it. Until next time, creator," the figure said, stepping into the rip in space, which promptly closed behind him.
[Currently analyzing skill: Chrono-speed ]
The world around Ivan turned a vibrant blue hue, and he found himself face-to-face with the Time Merchant once more.
"What the hell? I didn't ask you to analyze anything! There's a bloody boss right in front of me!" Ivan exclaimed in panic.
The Time Merchant began moving at an astonishing speed, almost as if teleporting, leaving Ivan bewildered by the surreal display.
[Analysis complete]
"Chrono-speed works by creating a small Temporal dimension around the user's chosen limbs, then accelerating time in that dimension, granting the user extreme speed. The increase in time acceleration within the Temporal dimension is limited by the user's proficiency in the skill and Temporal Affinity level," the system voice explained.
"Would you like to copy this skill?" the system inquired.
"Yes, yes!" Ivan hurriedly responded, his focus divided between understanding the new skill and the pressing threat of the boss.
[Error: Cannot copy skill | Skill level too high]
[Skill will be reduced to D rank]
[Would you still like to copy?]
Ivan quickly accepted the prompt, and immediately his head started throbbing as the entire workings of the skill were imbued into his mind.
As the blue aura around him disappeared, he found himself back where he stood, with nothing having moved—neither the boss nor Iris had shifted from their previous positions. It was as if time had frozen during his analysis.
"Ivan, are the weapons ready?" Iris asked.
"Oh, yeah," Ivan replied, taking out the twin daggers from his inventory and throwing them to Iris.
He then tightly gripped his newly crafted sword and, with a blur, disappeared from Iris's vision.
[Skill: Chrono-speed is active]
In a flurry of swift movements, Ivan repeatedly cut the Goblin King's body. Vagorai could not react to any of the attacks, and when Ivan reappeared beside Iris, he had sliced the goblin almost a hundred times. However, as Ivan looked at the goblin's remaining HP and stats, his confidence wavered.
[Name: Vagorai
Title: The Goblin King
Boss Level: 80
Class: Beast
Beast Level: 51
HP: 972
Stats:
- STR: 200
- AGI: 60
- INT: 5
- DEF: 205
- MAN: 200]
"That goblin is really strong," Ivan admitted to Iris, whose pupils moved around as if scanning their surroundings.
"I have even worse news. That explosion before drew every beast to us," Iris said, gesturing to the various beasts surrounding them.
"I think we're..." Iris began, her voice trailing off.
"Fucked?" Ivan completed.
"Yeah, that's the word. We're fucked," Iris said with a grim expression.