20 days into the dream world, Ethan stood surrounded by a horde of a hundred Charmweaver Spiders in the heart of the desert. Their hissing filled the air as they closed in, their crimson eyes locked onto him with hunger.
The spiders charged at him with astonishing speed, their fangs gleaming menacingly. Ethan knew he had to act quickly. He invoked "Gravity Shift," and the world distorted around him. Some spiders soared into the air, disoriented, but others adapted swiftly.
With a split-second decision, he leaped into the air using "Gravitational Jump." It saved him from a deadly bite, but not all the spiders missed. One's fang pierced his arm, sending waves of searing pain through him. But he didn't yield; he was determined to press on.
Threads of sticky silk shot toward him, a trap set by the spiders. Using "Gravity Slash," he sliced through the threads, creating a brief opening. But more spiders closed in, their hungry eyes fixed on him. Swiftly, he flipped mid-air, narrowly avoiding their lunges.
The matriarch, the largest and most menacing of the spiders, lunged. Ethan enacted "Gravity Point," redirecting her trajectory. She collided with her comrades, giving him a moment's respite.
Landing on the desert sand, Ethan found himself surrounded once more. He knew there was no room for hesitation. With unwavering determination, he unleashed "Gravity Slash" in all directions. Spiders crumbled under the overwhelming force, but the toll was high.
Ethan was injured, blood dripping from his arm, but he refused to yield to pain. Despite his injuries, he stood victorious amidst the spider carnage, a testament to his resilience and newfound abilities.
Suddenly, the scene shifted, and he found himself in an office.
"You've done exceptionally well, boy!" Oneiro's voice praised him.
Ethan was panting, his body aching, but he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. "How's my physical body?"
"Don't worry. It's better than when you fell asleep. It's only been about 5 hours in the real world. While your progress here is remarkable, remember that your real-world injuries won't vanish after a training session," Oneiro reassured him.
Oneiro was genuinely impressed, and it wasn't just empty praise. He knew that usually, a newly awakened individual wouldn't last more than a few days in the dream world without teetering on the edge of insanity. Ethan had faced death countless times, even on the first day, dying about 40 times before defeating a single spider. His mental fortitude was remarkable, even by Oneiro's standards. And the number of times he died every day became less and less in the following days. It did not mean that the feeling of death would become lighter. Thus his mentality should have taken a break a long time ago, but it seemed like Ethan did not bother at all.
Oneiro leaned in, his voice laced with excitement. "Listen, Ethan, I'm going to be completely honest with you. I've never encountered anyone who could harness my dream world to its fullest potential. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you, as only the first visit grants you that coveted 100:1 time ratio. Now, while I can wake you up to satisfy your hunger and reduce your discomfort, I have a proposition."
Ethan felt a pang of hunger, realizing it had been quite a while since his last meal. His curiosity was piqued. "What's your proposition?"
Oneiro continued, "The problem with hunger is that it intensifies in the dream world, and it won't go away. Eating won't satisfy it, and cultivation won't help here. But here's the deal – you staying in this realm helps me understand my abilities better, so while you endure this hunger, I will be gaining an advantage. On the other hand, you can continue to hone your abilities. I can spawn any monster you desire, and I'll ensure you recover each time you die. But let me warn you, never underestimate the power of hunger; it can turn a man into a beast."
Ethan pondered for only a moment before responding firmly, "I accept, with one condition. I want to know more about the history of these dungeons and who my enemies are. But all of this is pointless if I remain weak."
Ethan closed his eyes. Took a swap breath and asked for something Oneiro would have never expected. „In the past 20 days I had enough time to think about why I lost and how I have been pursued by more than 200 people and I understood something. I need to learn how to use my abilities effectively. While I won the first round it feels off. No one used his ability as if something was hindering from doing so."
then said with determination: „Therefore I want to become stronger. Much much stronger. Strong enough for anything and if that means to hunger for 100 more days, then that's it." Then Ethan's voice became louder as if he was making an oath to himself at this moment. „If it means to die 1000 more times, THEN LET IT BE 10000 TIMES." At this point Ethan started to shout, almost roaring through the room. „IF IT MEANS TO LIVE THE NEXT FEW MONTH IN COMPLETE ISOLATION WITH NO CONTACT TO THE WORLD, AND TO ONLY LIVE WITH MONSTERS, A LIFE FILLED WITH DEATH AND SUFFERING." At this point Ethan stopped talking, he closed his eyes, breathed in, breathed out, opened his eyes again and talked with a domineering tone: „then this is what I am going to do!" Suddenly his aura started to change and the last spark of innocence vanished from his eyes at that moment and was changed by the gaze of a true predator. When Oneiro looked in his eyes again he felt.. fear.
Oneiro took a step back feeling chills running down his spine. „How.. How can this be? Did he just breakthrough with his mental power? Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. It is not possible to breakthrough with the mental power before the moon rank. If that's true then this guy is a monster." At this moment made a decision that would change his whole life. "I have to keep him by my side at all cost even if it means to burn the whole world. He is my chance for revenge." Oneiro swore.
Then he took a second look at Ethan and kept thinking: „And did he just awaken the predator gaze of his grandpa? Wasn't it only a one in a million chance for a descendant to awaken the hero's ability? How can it even be passed to the grandchildren? What is wrong with this crazy family! Well, whatever. It only makes the boy more and more interesting."
„Well that's the energie boy. Don't worry I will help you get stro…"
„Wait a Moment if he broke through the first rank of mind power he should be able to use advanced telekinesis. Let me first confirm my thesis."
„Ethan let me ask you a question. What do you know about the cultivation of the mind?"
„Mind cultivation?"
„Well, yes mind cultivation or mentality cultivation."
„Hmm, when I asked grandpa on how to increase my intelligence he said I shouldn't worry since it is too early for me to worry about things like that. But thinking about it I feel like my mind is quite advanced since I can read thousands of words in seconds. So I never asked about it again."
„Well, is that case let me expl…. WHAAAAAAAATTTTTT. Ca.. Can you confirm what you just said?!"
„What do you mean?" Ethan felt a little unsure. Did he say too much about himself?
„Can you confirm that you can read more than a thousand words in seconds!"
„Well, the last time I read it was about half a million words in one minute so I guess a few thousand is not unrealistic."
„Genius! A fu*king genius. Hahahahahaha this is not only a golden spoon but a spoon made wholly of diamond inscribed with mana. I have to make him my decibel no matter what. First I need to keep my cool. Huuuu. Take a deep breath, Oneiro, don't let him feel how rare of a talent he is." Oneiro thought. Oneiro was shocked beyond comprehension.
„Can you prove it?!"
„What does this have anything to do with my training?"
„Just answer my question, can you prove it?!"
Ethan was a little annoyed. What did this have to do with learning how to use his abilities? But since Oneiro seemed to have a plan he still complied.
"Well if you give me a book of your choice I can read it to you."
Oneiro snapped his fingers, and the scene shifted once more. Suddenly, Ethan found himself standing in the midst of a grand library. Towering bookshelves filled with tomes of all shapes and sizes stretched out in every direction. The books on the shelves looked pristine, as if untouched by the passage of time, their covers vibrant and pages crisp.
Oneiro explained, 'These are all the books I've read in my 120 years since I was born. Since I can't remember every word, I store them in a separate space within my dream world for easy access whenever needed. Never did I expect I would use them for someone else.'
He turned to Ethan, his demeanor now serious and expectant. 'If what you say is true, I will help you master much more than just your gravity control. Take whatever book you like and start reading it.'
Ethan was surrounded by centuries of accumulated wisdom, and he felt a sense of reverence in this place of knowledge. He walked along the towering shelves, examining the books. There were titles on magic, history, philosophy, and more.
Ethan chose a book that seemed particularly intriguing, its cover adorned with intricate symbols.
He took a seat at a nearby table and opened the first page and started flipping slowly through the pages.
Well actually he wouldn't need to sit down to read the book and he could have read it while standing, since he could finish it in a little under one minute, but it was a habit he built in the past 5 years.
Ethan flipped through the pages as if they were a flipbook, a rapid blur of motion. It took him less than five seconds to traverse from the first page to the very last.
However, confusion marred Ethan's visage. A puzzled frown settled on his face as he pondered the astounding speed of his reading. He couldn't help himself; he flipped back to the first page and once more raced through the entire book, as if searching for a hidden secret among the words.
Ethan cleared his throat, speaking cautiously, "Oneiro."
Oneiro responded, "Yeah, what's on your mind? Need an explanation? Don't worry, the knowledge in these books isn't common. It's my personal collection, gathered over 120 years. So, it might take you some time to grasp."
Ethan hesitated before confessing, "That's not it. I just... I feel like I miscalculated."
Oneiro initially appeared confused, but then he had a realization. He reassured Ethan, saying, "It's okay. Reading half a million words in a minute isn't even possible for a Sun Rank expert, so no need to worry. Just tell me, how fast can you read?"
Ethan struggled to explain, "Well, it's not exactly like that. I just... I read a quarter million words with one flip..."
Oneiro burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the dream library. "Hahaha, oh, that's a good one! And I suppose I reached Galaxy rank many years ago too! PUHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA."