Tepo's vision blurred. He cursed his core inwardly. When would the willful entity finally act?
As if answering its host, the core began to move reluctantly. One could think the Core of Time was about to sacrifice its life. If it had a face, it would probably cry sorrowfully now.
Slowly one of the runes swimming within the core dissolved. A mysterious, white light reappeared. The core itself became sluggish, abilities related to its rank temporarily unusable.
While Tepo had a hard time following the process, the black root was suddenly met with the white light within Tepo's body. Its struggle was short-lived.
Under the white light's attack, skillfully manipulated by the Core of Time, the black color gradually receded. A disgusting black liquid separated from the root. Slowly the poison spreading through Tepo's body drew back.
The white force circled around the black liquid, searing away at it. After a few seconds the black liquid dissolved entirely and vanished from Tepo's body.
Only a vibrant, lively green root remained. It exuded vitality rivaling an entire tree. The white energy swayed joyfully before shooting into the root.
Suddenly Tepo's body shook in surprise. A mysterious, extremely nourishing energy was released as the root dissolved. Lively and green, it spread through Tepo's body.
At the same time the white force also appeared again. It returned to the Core of Time, forming a rune again. If Tepo had time to pay attention he would've noticed that the white energy increased by the tiniest bit.
But the warrior's mind was occupied by the elevating feeling of his body. As the green energy spread, it slowly caressed every cell, doing its best to heal all those hidden injuries which wouldn't recover from a simple pill.
Tepo's body appeared to be somewhat strengthened as the green energy made its rounds. Finally, it even reached the young man's brain. It nourished his soul, animating his mental strength.
Suddenly Tepo instinctively knew what to do. He sat down comfortably as he connected with the Core of Time.
Immediately the warrior's vision turned unprecedently vibrant. Violet, bright nebulas filled every corner of the room. With the green energy's help, Tepo had a much higher sensitivity for the Force of Time.
The young man was elated by the unexpected surprise. He hastily began training. As the Core of Time pulled, the Force of Time arrived smoother than ever.
The violet light entered Tepo's chest and was stored by his core. Finally, after a lot of expenditure the young man was able to absorb a large amount of force again.
Unfortunately, this wonderful state only lasted for a few minutes. The small root naturally didn't contain unlimited energy. But looking around, there was a nearly unlimited supply of roots.
Tepo grinned faintly. The joy of faster training was hard to beat. He decided to devote some time. Maybe the beasts would even leave by themselves.
Ok, buddy. This time, please react faster and don't let me feel like dying again, ok?
After mentally pleading the Core of Time, Tepo looked at the rot in his hand wearily. He breathed in an out deeply before taking a big bite.
Thus began Tepmodus' training within the ruined tower. He constantly shifted between heaven and hell as the poison affected his body before the Core of Time dissolved it.
Constantly having his mind and body refreshed by the green energy, Tepo didn't need to eat or sleep. He could fully concentrate on absorbing the Force of Time.
Hours passed. Days, Weeks. Tepo gradually accepted that this was a part of his life as a warrior now. The boring times when he just had to sit and absorb the Force of Time. Who knew how long training sessions might take in the future?
At least objects like this root existed, which shortened the training time. He had to make sure to take a large stock of them when he left the tower.
After over a month the Core of Time already had more force absorbed than ever before. Many small balls of condensed force were stored in a corner. But once more the core refused to let Tepo reach the state of illusionary fourth- or fifth- circled.
The willful entity didn't stop. It accumulated. Finally, after one more week, a change occurred.
The Core of Time pulsed strongly. Its form was already swollen consistently. Suddenly it contracted heavily. Tepo was almost unprepared as a large amount of the Force of Time permeated his chest.
The force shot into Tepo's spellcircles. Quickly new rings lit up. Four, five, six. As the sixth circle was reached, a golden light flashed. The circles quickly solidified.
A strong feedback ran through Tepo's body and soul. He felt his strength elevated. His muscles, bones, blood, all seemed to transform, becoming stronger and more resilient.
Tepo couldn't help himself but let out a joyful laughter. He felt great, his body and mind in peak form. He had left the him from before the awakening ceremony far behind. His power and speed were nothing a commoner could contend with anymore.
In a great mood, Tepo jumped up moving his body. Everything felt smooth and easy. As his soul was strengthened as well, it wouldn't take long to get used to his new strength.
But a moment later the young man's eyes fell on the corpses in the room. His face got serious again as a foul odor reached his nose.
Right. I'm still in a dungeon. Theoretically I have a way to survive almost forever now. I won't run out of roots any time soon.
But is this really what I want? Am I someone who sits around and waits for others to solve the dungeon?
In my old life I lived in constant danger. But I was still doing well. I'm not worse than others! How could I compete with other warriors if I don't take some risks?
Pumping himself up, Tepo riled up his confidence. He wasn't resigned to sit and wait for help. He also wanted to explore and maybe solve the dungeon!
With those thoughts the young warrior put away the root in his hands. He turned his head, observing the root wall blocking the staircase downwards.
After a month of training Tepo had torn off a good chunk of them. Doing so a few times, something had suddenly fallen into the young man's eyes.
A shimmer of light shined through the roots. It wasn't strong, but it aroused Tepo's interest.
The dungeon's quest is to find something called Ahiluscendum. Since I don't know what this is, I can't leave any stone unturned.
With this in mind, Tepo approached the root wall, taking out his knife. He slashed down, cutting apart the roots and taking them into his storage bag. Naturally such treasures couldn't be wasted.
Soon, the sound of roots ripping echoed through the tower. Disgusting liquid dripped to the ground. Tepo even wanted to activate [Rapid Pierce] but his core went on strike.
F*ck, you're stingy!
The Core of Time didn't even deign to comment as it watched its host at work.
Finally, after over an hour a large enough hole for Tepo to crawl through had been formed. The mysterious light only grew stronger, illuminating the tower.
Curious, the young man entered the basement. Immediately his attention was attracted by a gorgeous, brightly shining crystal in the room's center. A transparent barrier enclosed it from top to bottom as it was connected to a crystal stand.
Tepo's brows rows as he studied this setup. The crystal stand was entirely made form force crystals! This was worth a small fortune!
The young man took a few steps forward carefully. Roots cracked beneath his feet. The entire room was covered in roots, maybe attracted by the energy emanating from the crystal.
Slowly Tepo came to a stop before the barrier. Although it was invisible, it was still outlined by the root network, which wasn't able to pass it.
The young man studied the crystal in silence. He tried to feel where its energy went. But he already had an educated guess.
This should be the power source protecting the tower. Let's test it.
With confident eyes Tepo reached out his hand. He didn't stop, directly touching the energy barrier. And passed through it.
That's good to know. But I can't be sure if this crystal is the Ahiluscendum. I have to be prepared before I take it away.
With nothing more to see in the basement, Tepo left again. He didn't stop in the tower's intact part and climbed up the staircase towards the higher floors.
Carefully he peeked over the wall, scanning his surroundings.
Although the noises have died down, a few beasts still remain…
Under the never changing orange sun a few disgusting beasts could be found sleeping on the ground.
But they don't encircle the tower too tightly. If I make some plans, I might be able to break out. But what comes next? Where should I search for the Ahiluscendum?