The Ultimate Support Character

Tired from standing and waiting as my body slowly moved in this Dimensional Passageway, I sat down in a lotus position and took out anything that I could possibly use.

Elemental Stones of different qualities.

Tanks filled with Dark Energy.

The few Energy Stones left from the newly opened Necklaces.

Aside from those I listed, books from a higher world which I couldn't comprehend.

"Looking at this, I'm actually quite poor, huh? I don't have that many possessions. Even my possessions on Earth only consisted of what I brought from home. The loot from battles which have no real value for me was all given away to boost either the denizens' strength or someone close to me."

I shook my head and picked up an Energy Stone. It's still a mystery where this came from or at what Level a world could produce a stone like this which reacted accordingly to what kind of Source Energy one uses.

The Dark World has their own version of stones but it's also an exclusive Energy Stone like the Elemental Stone. Those not adapted or have different Source Energy would receive less benefit from using it. It will be less due to the need of converting the energy first.

Looking at my front and back, the hole where I came from was already nowhere to be seen and the hole where I would possibly enter was also nowhere to be seen yet. I have no way of knowing if time was really frozen or not. It could even be faster due to what I observed back then. Well, judging from how the Dark World denizens' descends, it would surely not take years.

Haa… Why am I thinking about this again? Let's focus. Focus.

Bringing my sight back to the stone in my hand, I started focusing on the Energy contained in it.

"I have really no choice but to try these, right? Judging from what's in front of me, there's still no indication that I'm near the Dark World."

At the same time as I continued mumbling to myself, my nonexistent Energy Control in this place worked and started drawing out the Energy Contained inside the stone.

Gather it in my hand, I very quickly became disappointed at the sight of the dissipation of the energy I had just pulled out.

As soon as it left the confines of the stone, like a cloud of smoke blown by the wind, it disappeared in an instant.

Picking up two more stones, I repeated the process.

And of course, I repeated the same disappointment.

I don't need to try again as the answer was already presented in front of me.

I just have to quickly absorb it before the drawn-out Energy dissipates. I don't have to gather it first before absorbing it. Though the efficiency will be lower, at least, I can now start absorbing to boost my stagnant Mortal Pathways.

Picking up a handful of stones and quickly absorbing the Energy it contained, I finally felt my Flux Energy started to revolve and mixed with the new influx of Energy.

Repeating the process a few times, the Energy Stones I took out were all used up.

Looking at my Status in the System, 3% was added to the progress.

"Look at this… I feel like my impulsive decision to enter the Portal isn't unlucky at all. And that's as long as I don't start overthinking about the possibilities once I reach my destination."

Ah. Damn. I had just reminded myself about that.

I slapped my cheeks with both of my hands until I started feeling the painful tinge from the swelling I caused to myself.

And to ease myself of that pain, I cast the Aether Elemental Spell: Cure on me… adding small progress in its proficiency.

Hey. Isn't this a great way to also grind these Spells?

I mean casting the Spells below the Master Proficiency, not hurting myself and healing myself. I don't have that kind of sick tendency.

In any case… Let's continue!

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[Manifold Aether Burst's Proficiency has been upgraded to Expert]

[Manifold Void Burst's Proficiency has been upgraded to Expert]

[Cure's Proficiency has been upgraded to Skilled]

[Curse's Proficiency has been upgraded to Skilled]

After those four notifications, more of the same kind of notifications but with different names of spells indicating their rise in proficiency followed after.

I don't know how much time has passed but whenever I feel mentally exhausted, I will rest for a while before continuing.

In that duration, the piles of Energy Stone I produced all turned to normal stones and several tanks of Dark Energy were emptied. I didn't use the Elemental Stones as they will be more useful to the denizens of the World of Elements.

Since I couldn't be sure where it would take me if I used any Movement Spells in here, I refrained from using those and just focused on the Air Bullet's different variations and the number of nodes used.

Most of those spells already reached Skilled Proficiency with the 4-nodes ones reaching the Expert Proficiency.

[Level 5 Support Expert System (99%)]

[Ability: Level 2 Adaptability (75%)]

Consequently, my Mortal Pathway stopped at 99%. It's not that I ran out of Energy to use, I just couldn't absorb more than that.

In a way, I expected that. I am currently cut off from any Source Energy I have adapted to in this place. And this place even has the possibility of having been frozen in time.

Reaching 99% was already a miracle in a way if I closed my eyes on how many tanks filled with Dark Energy I emptied. In my somewhat honest estimation, the amount of Dark Energy I converted and absorbed is equivalent to the first five Zones we raided.

Let's not talk about Adaptability. There's still a ways to go before it will completely fill up. Although I'm also already impatient at how slow it gained another percentage, there's nothing I can do about its slow progress.

I could've continued to grind it even for an additional single percent increase, but I decided to stop once the view in front of me exhibited a change.

A single dot could now be seen in the immeasurable distance. Not only that, the size of the passageway actually widened. If at first, only two people could fit before one could reach the walls of this passageway where a glass-like screen was forbidding me from jumping out, it could now fit at least eight.

With my entire focus fully trained on it, the dot gradually grew in size. The Dark Energy flowed with that dot as the source also grew stronger. If earlier it was just a stream, it became a raging river which filled 3/4 of this passageway, the remaining 1/4 occupied by the stream of Elemental Energy which exited that dot which has now transformed into a tiny hole.

"The Dark World…"

I muttered a little loudly just to refresh my mind. During the inestimable time which I spent in this passageway, I knew that I already talked to myself for more than just ten times. The eerie silence and the endless darkness which I could stare into could possibly drive someone mad. Even with my Adaptability, I was still affected.

Maybe it was just something everyone would experience during the first time traveling through a Dimensional Passageway like this but still… If I can choose to, I will want someone to accompany me on this journey to a new world.

As the tiny hole continued to grow larger, I started feeling some sort of unease.

I took out the Willful Sword, the Totem and the Orbs. I could only do this, preparing to enter combat as soon as I stepped out of this Passageway.

When the hole grew to the size where it could fit a grown adult man, the view of what's outside this Passageway started to be shown.

Contrary to the world's name, the sky in that world isn't as dark. I didn't see it clearly when the screen turned up when I was closing the Portal in the World of Spirits but now, I will not only see it, I will also be standing beneath that sky.

Well, even if it will be just for a split second.

One thing to note though is that the view that the Portal was showing me was also frozen, there's even a creature that was frozen in the sky.

"Was the time really frozen? Was the time I spent inside this Dimensional Passageway would only equate to a split second?"

"If that's the case, why does no one exploiting this place? No. No. It's still hard to conclude that the time was really frozen."

"Let's think about that later… There's a more pressing issue. Jump back as soon as I got out of the Portal."

I gripped the Willful Sword in my hand and waited as I slowly approached the huge gaping hole which depicted the scenery outside.

At this moment, my sense of time has started to come back. With every second that passed, it somehow felt like an eternity.

Despite the Adaptability telling me to stay calm and focused, my sweat couldn't help but trickle down my face.

Five meters…

Four meters…

Three meters…

As soon as the tips of my finger touched the surface of the Portal, notifications instantly rang out inside my mind.

[You exited the Dimensional Passageway]

[You have reached your destination: Unlisted Transcendent World> Dark World]

[Ding! You entered another world. Dark World]

[Received +6 Strength, +12 Endurance as World Bonus]

[Will expire upon leaving the world]

[Detected a higher form of Energy]

[Level 2 Dark Energy has already been identified]

[Adapting…]

[The World's Will has detected your presence]

[The World's Will is trying to forcefully summon your consciousness]