Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

With the help of the abundant mana produced by the enriched Trees of Mana and the pond, he was able to step at level 301. Although the difference was of just a level, it wasn't something any amount of hunting monsters for experience could cover.

His speed which had been reduced to a crawl after he approached near the 300 level wall, disappeared as if it was never there after he diligently trained his skills and soaked himself inside the pond every day.

The barrier that would have otherwise restricted a Demon Viscount for as long a couple of years, was easily broken apart by Simon in a week of time. If any high ranking Demon Noble knew what Simon had achieved within a measly time of a week, they wouldn't even be able to believe it.

Simon was not aware of it but Irene had precisely seen through the problem that he would have otherwise faced if he had simply concentrated on just increasing his level. His growth would have met the wall and it would have taken more than a few years to get past it.

During these past weeks, while Simon fully focused on achieving a self transient state and recalling the sensation of the [Mana Lines] over and over again, Irene had stealthily visited to check on his progress many times without even him realizing.

Although she pretended to be indifferent in front of others, those who were familiar with her would know that it wasn't her true nature and something that was born out of the innate prowess of her.

Simon had benefited tremendously from a week of training near the pond; however, he wasn't the only one who had gotten stronger. The Bloodthorn demonic warhorse who was hibernating near the area, benefitted equally from the dense amount of mana that shrouded the area.

Like a sponge, its body soaked all of the surrounding mana thus strengthening its body and increasing its level. Its robust body became even more vigorous and the flame-like mane of its body burned a tinge of golden indicating that the intermediate tier [Flame Magic Mastery] of the warhorse, had reached quite the profound level.

It wasn't just the physical change but even its skills and stats had increased.

Although it had yet to reach level 300, there was no denying that the warhorse was steadily approaching closer. There was no telling how much stronger it would be after breaking through the level 300 barrier.

Just like a shell, the thick mist enshrouded the deeply hibernating warhorse within.

Slowly opening his eyes, Simon observed the changes in his body and clenched his hands. He could feel the power coursing through his body and the mana circulating inside his body while erratic most of the time, was starting to flow in a fixed path.

The speed at which mana flowed within his body, was many times faster than what it was before.

The rate at which one can circulate mana through their body also determines the speed of the activation of their skills and magic. In other words, Simon was able to cast magic, skills and display the might of a Demon Viscount more efficiently than before.

While it is true that he had yet to achieve the [Mana Lines] skill, he could see the obvious changes occurring within his body.

"[Mana Lines] it truly is a skill worthy of being a rare skill. The effects of the skill can make all the lower-ranked beings of this world covet for it" Simon said while looking at his status.

The [Ancestral Symbol Ignition] skill was off cooldown and could be used once again, he also has the Serenity stone which he had not used yet precisely for this moment.

The Serenity stone when shattered releases an effect that increases the focus and concentration of a person helping them reach the self transient state. These past few days of repeated failures had told him how difficult it was to reach such a state of mind.

"With the help of this stone, it would be possible to reach that state of mind once again" Simon said as he brought the stone out of his inventory.

[Inventory] was one of the functions of the [Main Menu] that allows him to store up to ten thousand items in a sub dimensional space. It was quite a useful skill that allowed him to store items without having him physically carry them.

He remembered Irene telling him that the stone was being formed at the bottom of the pond of serenity and it would take a week or so for another one to be formed. It was precisely because he did not know if the other had formed or not, that he was hesitant to use the one in his hand.

The serenity stone was a once use item which means that after being shattered, the effects inside the stone would be released and it would return to being an ordinary rubble.

Deliberating over the decision for a while, Simon finally decided to use it. While the stone was precious, it was an item meant to be used. There was no reason to hesitate over it.

In any case, acquiring the [Mana Lines] in a short period of time should be his top priority in which case he needed his mind to achieve a self transient state and the serenity stone was necessary for that.

The thought that the pond was able to produce more of the serenity stone eased up his mind a bit. Taking a deep breath, he focused his senses and was about to shatter the oval white stone in his hand when all of a sudden, Cecilia voice came from amidst the mist.

"Big brother… Big brother… can you hear me?" It had been two weeks since Simon last saw her after she went with her clan to the floor designated as their village.

For her to be here, something must have come up. Thinking so Simon kept the serenity stone back in his [Inventory] and stood up.

Turning around, he saw the figure of Cecilia as she ran through the mist. Finally finding him, she took hurried breaths before saying "huff… huff… big brother I finally found you hehe".

Her face at this moment was that of an excited one and no matter how she tried, she couldn't suppress the joy that beamed out of her.

Seeing her merry face, Simon rubbed her head before asking curiously "What's the matter Cecilia? Why are you in such a rush… shouldn't you be with your clansmen helping them build a new village?".

Hearing his question, Cecilia couldn't help but pout.

"Big brother I was helping my clan to build a new village but a few days ago grandpa Fennel told me that they can handle the rest and I should head back to the main floor. Although I wanted to help till the end, they did not budge an inch and so I came back here. When I got back I was informed by Elder sister Irene that you were in the middle of training near the pond and I shouldn't disturb you" She protested.

After saying that, she looked at Simon and added "Big brother I was waiting for you to come out of your training for so long".

Simon was surprised a little when he heard that Cecilia was waiting for him to finish his training. He asked in concern "Hmm? You were waiting for me? Did something come up?".

Nodding her head, Cecilia said excitedly "When I went to check on the progress of the village yesterday, Grandpa Fennel told me to bring you along. Hehe, it seems that he and the other wants to show you the village they made".

Whenever she talked about the village they made on the new floor, Cecilia's face beamed with joy that was difficult for a girl like her to hide.

As if suddenly remembering something, she looked at Simon and pulled his hands "Oh right big brother are you done with your training? If so then we can go right now. Everybody is waiting for you to show up".

Without even letting him answer, Cecilia pulled him as if trying to show from her action how eager she was to bring him to their new village. Simon shook his head in defeat and instantly dropped his previous idea of training some more.

Given how excited Cecilia was, there was no way to stop her until she brings him to their village.

"Why not go along… it seems that floor had changed quite significantly since the last time you saw it" It was at this moment that Irene's cold and aloof voice rang out from amidst the mist.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Irene had silently appeared near the area. The moment her figure came into view, it was as if all the splendor of the world was stolen by her.

"Elder sister Irene…" the instant Cecilia saw Irene, she ran towards her and nuzzled in her embrace. It seemed that the both of them became even closer in this period of time when Simon was busy training.

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Name:- Simon

Race:- Demon Viscount

Titles:- Demon of Pride [Incomplete Fragment 1/5]

Stats:-

Level:- 301

HP:- 45,241

MP:- 63,220

Strength:- 2803

Defence:- 3003

Agility:-  3405

Magic:- 3805

Endurance:- 3104

Luck:- 2102

Skills:- Language Comprehension, Analysis, Flame Magic Mastery, Gale Magic Mastery, Electro Magic Mastery, High-Speed Thought Processing, High-Speed Regeneration, High-Speed Flight, Super Strength, Body Enhancement, Fire Resistance, Wind Resistance, Electro resistance Pain Resistance, Blunt Damage Resistance,  Sense Presence, Demonic Eyes, Super Agility, Enhanced Endurance, Super Magic, Super Defence, Minimal Mana Consumption

Amalgamation Skills:- [Flame-Gale Mastery], [Electro-Flame Mastery]

Inherent Skills:- Dungeon Creation, Main Menu, Ancestral Symbol Ignition