Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Indeed, Simon had quite the change after just spending six hours in a self-transient state. The most noticeable change was the look in his eyes which have set their sights on a goal and his presence that spoke volumes of his boosted confidence.

In Irene's eyes, these changes were a pleasant and welcoming one.

Simon who was silent all this while nodded at her compliment and spoke "I see so six hours passed just like that. Although I tried my best to remember the sensation of the [Mana Lines], I still failed to grasp most of it. I can see why this skill is only in the hands of those level 500 and above. It truly is a skill that could completely transform a person".

Simon clenched his fist in determination, though he failed to grasp it this time, it did not mean that there was no other opportunity to grasp it. After the cooldown of the skill resets, he planned to activate it once again in hopes of comprehending the [Mana LInes] skill.

'It seems he does know his limits and even while knowing that, he strives to improve himself' Irene thought to herself. From what she could tell, Simon's talent wasn't that high and it took him a while to catch onto something.

But in the world where strength ruled supreme, talent alone wasn't the deciding factor. One needed a goal, unyielding will and determination to improve. All of which was present in Simon.

When she told him to try and sense the mana lines established during the activation of his Phantasmal tier skill, she wasn't hoping for him to grasp it since it was impossible to do it in one go.

The mana lines used during the activation of the Phantasmal tier skill wasn't any ordinary tier but the Legendary tier mana lines after all. One which is exclusive and original only to him.

What she was hoping from this experience was for was Simon to get a feeling of what a perfected [Mana Lines] looked like. Anything more than that would be asking too much from him since she herself knew how hard it is to acquire a rare skill from the scratch.

Simon able to grasp something out of this experience was a pleasant surprise. A Rare skill like [Mana Lines] has a possibility to evolve a total of three that is to say it has three tiers namely Superior, Ancient and Legendary.

What Simon had experienced from the activation of his [Ancestral Symbol Ignition] was the Legendary tier mana lines a Rare skill could possibly reach. It was no exaggeration to say that it was impossible to fully grasp such a complex mana lines in just one try even for a genius.

Not to mention there was no need for him to recreate the exact same mana lines formed inside his body during the activation of his skill. Even if he was able to recreate an imperfect version of it with lot less paths and pales in comparison to the original, Simon would still be able to take the first step and acquire the skill.

Perfecting the mana lines to its Legendary tier should be his ultimate goal before he reaches the rank of Demon Duke.

Irene believed that Simon himself realised that after he sorted out all of his thoughts while in a self-transient state.

"Alright now that you have already seen how the perfect version of your mana lines looks like, it would be fine if you could slowly and steadily grasp the sensation of it. But first, you should focus on creating a mana lines that you have experienced for yourself as close to the original as possible."

"Don't worry about making mistakes after all what we are trying to achieve is not the Legendary tier but the ordinary [Mana Lines]. You can work your way to that tier after you acquire it".

Irene said as she used her mana to fork out something from the pond and passed it onto to him.

Looking at the control she had over her mana, Simon was once again astounded. The pond currently contained a ridiculous amount of turbulent and pure mystical energy that kept on increasing with time. It should be extremely hard for a person's mana to penetrate through it without being disrupted in the middle.

However, Irene had achieved just that so effortlessly that Simon was left speechless. He knew first-hand how atrocious the mystical energy inside the pond of serenity was since even his body was unable to take it.

It took every mana he had just to keep on circulating the wildly rushing mystical energy within him. Though Simon was left speechless he wasn't surprised by Irene after all, he knew that she was on a completely different realm than him even if her level was below him.

'Will I be able to close the huge gulf between our realms even by just a single step if I acquire the [Mana Lines] skill?' Simon wondered as he caught the object that was tossed to him.

'What is this feeling… I'm getting more and more excited' It maybe partly due to his demon ancestry and partly because he could clearly see his goal, but just the thought of getting stronger and taking another step towards bridging the gap in their strengths, exhilarated him.

If earlier he was levelling up and increasing his strength because he wanted to survive and not get crushed under the overwhelming power of others. Now though it was as if another goal to get stronger had sprouted in his heart without even him knowing.

Shifting his attention towards the object in his hand, Simon carefully inspected it. The object was an oval-shaped white stone with no special feature to speak off. While holding the stone, he could feel a clear chilling sensation coming off of it.

Simon did not what the stone was but since it came from within the pond, there was no way it was an ordinary item. The previous time when he dived inside the pond, he had gotten hold of the scarlet mutation crystal which induces a mutation on the monster consuming its essence and making it able to harness the fire attribute of mana.

Although he hasn't used the crystal yet, he still understood how precious those crystals were for his dungeon. If possible, he wanted the pond to produce some more of it and of higher grades.

Simon had no doubts that the oval stone in his would be as useful as the scarlet mutation crystal. And since Irene took the effort to fork it out of the pond and present it to him, it must mean that stone was beneficial for him.

Using [Analysis] on the stone, it showed him that the stone was called Serenity stone and its rank to his amazement was a [B]. What did it mean? It meant that the serenity stone was a rank above the grade of the scarlet mutation crystal he got from the pond.

That was not all, it was his second time getting a [B] rank out of something. Although he had upgraded his Scarlet Blazing Flame Blade from the multitudes of [B] rank items, it was the result of the [Upgrade] option of his [Armory].

Grabbing the stone tightly in his hand, he read the description provided by the [Analysis].

A bizarre shaped stone condensed from the pure energy of the mystical veins and holds the properties of the pond of serenity. When shattered, it creates an impromptu effect around the place that helps a person to increase their concentration and focus.

Wait a minute? What kind of effect is that? Increasing the concentration and focus of a person… wasn't the effect mentioned just like what he had experienced when he had reached a self-transient state of mind?

Seeing the astonished expression of Simon, Irene silently explained pointing at the pond of serenity.

"I have already told this before… but the pond is going to be one of the greatest treasures in your dungeon. Honestly, when I saw the stone being formed at the bottom a few days ago, even I was surprised. That stone in your hand isn't something that should be in the possession of a Demon Viscount. As for its effects, it is as you read. The serenity stone will help you reach a self-transient state of mind more easily. That is why the stone is ranked as [B], its effect is just that beneficial for those who are in need of it. Since it is a one-use item, use it carefully in the future".

After saying that, she beckoned with her hand indicating Simon to come nearer to the pond. After stepping closer to the edge of the pond, he matched Irene's gaze and also tried to pry through the bottom of the pond.

Since he knew there were all sorts of treasure growing at the bottom of the pond, he was all the more curious.

Gazing at the pond, Irene said "Seven years… it is not a lot of time. If you are absolutely planning on keeping your words with the Ancient Titan Treant and aim for becoming the ruler of the Ghastly Winding Forest, then you must train with even more intensity. I'll also help you in every way I can".

Hearing her words, Simon clenched his hands and nodded in appreciation. He had to admit that with just a few words of her, Simon was able to see clearly what he needed to achieve his seven years goal.

If there was any doubt of hesitation in his heart before, now it was all gone.. Irene had proved herself that she was plenty strong and knowledgeable enough to teach and show him the way.