Upon crossing the threshold, Lin Sei was greeted by an infinite void. There was no sky or ground, only a golden mist swirling around him. Suddenly, a deep and resonant voice, like the echo of eons themselves, spoke:
—**"You are worthy to bear the weight of time, but only if you can master it."**
Lin Sei felt a shock in his mind, as if thousands of invisible threads were trying to ensnare him. His vision blurred, and the flow of time seemed to freeze for a moment before accelerating chaotically. The golden mist began to condense before him, taking the shape of a giant clock with gears spinning at impossible speeds. Each tick resounded like a heartbeat, threatening to crush him.
The trial had begun.
Lin Sei faced a series of combat visions, each faster and deadlier than the last. In the span of a heartbeat, he found himself battling illusory enemies moving at superhuman speeds. At first, every strike overwhelmed him, his senses unable to keep up.
He closed his eyes, allowing his instincts and training to guide his body. He stopped trying to move faster and instead began to *feel* the flow of time. An overwhelming clarity enveloped him: time wasn't a river but an ocean, and he could shape it.
Focusing, he extended his will toward the gears of the giant clock. He felt every movement, every tick. In a moment of lucidity, he synchronized with the perfect rhythm. Time around Lin Sei began to slow down, and the movements of his enemies became like leaves floating in the wind.
**A torrent of energy flooded his body.**
His eyes snapped open, glowing with a golden light. Mastery of time was now his. In this state, everything around him moved as though trapped in molasses, while he glided through attacks with unmatched elegance and speed.
One by one, the illusory enemies fell before they could react. Lin Sei didn't just anticipate their movements; he saw them before they happened. He could predict the trajectories of strikes, shifts in posture, and hidden intentions.
When the final enemy was defeated, the giant clock stopped. The resonant voice spoke again, but this time with a tone of respect:
—**"You have proven that time does not rule you."**
The golden mist dissipated, and Lin Sei returned to the dungeon. It had all been an illusion.
**[Domain unlocked: 7%]**
Lin Sei prepared to activate his new domain. The world around him slowed, and every movement he made became a masterpiece of precision and speed. The *Time of the Monarch* wasn't just a power but an extension of his being. He could feel his surroundings entirely and control the flow of time within that range.
**[Time of the Monarch: Create a domain where any being that enters is affected, slowing them by 40%. You can also sense your surroundings with heightened precision.]**
Lin Sei felt the magnificence of this ability. The only drawback he found was that after just a few breaths of using it, his energy was already drained. It was a technique meant to be used only in critical moments and with absolute precision—or he would die trying. It wasn't a complete domain yet; it could only be called a *sub-domain*. If his brother had been present, Lin Sei felt he would have been proud, but now wasn't the time to dwell on the past. He had to return home.
**[9 DAYS REMAINING]**
---
**[In the following days:]**
**[Level Up]**
**[Level Up]**
**[Level Up]**
**[Level Up]**
The cracked stone floors of the infinite cavern were stained red, and a putrid stench began to permeate the air. Most of the beasts on this floor fled in all directions, hoping to escape the predator hunting them all.
Of course, many chose to fight at first. After all, a beast's natural instinct was to kill, eat, and evolve. However, the beast they faced was too savage. Every beast that tried to fight was torn apart, crushed before they realized it, or mysteriously had parts of their bodies destroyed.
This scene had been unfolding for hours, but the predator was far from satisfied. Whenever it spotted life, it moved in for the kill.
It seemed to care about nothing—not even its own health—as it moved with the sole purpose of bringing death. Moreover, even if a beast managed to injure it, the predator would heal swiftly. The beasts' strength, ranging between levels 10 and 20, stood no chance.
The various beasts that originally inhabited the dungeon had enough intelligence to realize they couldn't survive alone, so they banded together to attack. A group of thirty beasts surrounded a single enemy.
Lin snapped his fingers, and time seemed to slow. Using mid-range teleportation and his mastery of short swords, he struck each beast down from behind in a single blow.
The beast they faced had a mane of black fur streaked with gold, eyes that were a swirling mix of deep gold and coal-black in a yin-yang pattern, and a body growing more muscular with each passing moment.
This beast was none other than Lin.
If an observer had been present to witness the aftermath in that dungeon, all they would see was an endless sea of blood and shattered corpses.
Any beast escaping his control dug tunnels into the ground beyond his reach or fled. However, most of those who fled met their end at his hands.
He turned to look at the dismembered flesh and pieces of organs littering the once-dry ground, snorted, and continued deeper into the dungeon.
The Lin who had almost died against the wolf couldn't even compare to the current Lin Sei.
With the acquisition of an infallible method to strengthen his body, a first-class skill tied to his spatial affinity, his domain, and mastery of his swords, his full potential was finally unleashed.
**[3 DAYS REMAINING]**