Dimensional Descent

'Metal Spirit!'

The heartbeats of Isoltihne, the other elders and even Engnaril in the distance all skipped at once. But, even then, it was especially so for Engnaril.

Engnaril had assumed that Leonel couldn't be a very powerful Crafter because the scanners didn't detect even a Pseudo Spirit, let alone the complete one he was seeing now. So, to him, the appearance of this Metal Spirit meant something far different than what it did to the others and his heart couldn't stop trembling out of control.

'He has a spatial treasure that can store life.'

Engnaril forced himself to calm down. For one, there was the matter of Leonel's background. If he had such a treasure, that only confirmed Anya's words as more than just nonsense a mischievous little girl was spewing to help someone they saw as a friend.

In addition, it was also possible that this was Leonel's ability. The one thing their scanners didn't test for was Ability Index. If they did so, it would cause an uproar, so they had no choice but to make such a Concession. Some forms of Beast Taming Ability Indexes also evolved such that their users could have inner worlds to maintain and nurture their creatures. So, he knew he shouldn't jump to conclusions.

However… when that greed bloomed, it became difficult to suppress… Especially when the Metal Spirit before him was more valuable than even most spatial treasures of that caliber.

Leonel ignored those around him, a bright smile blooming on his face.

"Hey little guy, how was your spa day?"

"*Bloop!*Bloop*"

Leonel chuckled. Usually, he would have Little Tolly on his wrist. But, after the Segmented Cube evolved, it gained the ability to nurture spirits as well. So, he had been leaving Little Tolly in there.

In truth, Leonel felt a bit bad after neglecting Little Tolly for so long so he had been spending a lot of time communicating with the little guy, especially during the [Dimensional Cleanse] trial where he didn't really have much to do anyway. So, the two were much closer now than they had been back when Leonel had left him for two years.

Of course, it wasn't exactly Leonel's fault that that had happened. But, Little Tolly was still in his infancy stages. You couldn't exactly tell a baby why it was logical that their parent had left them, right?

The result was Leonel being especially doting toward Little Tolliver now.

"So cute!" Anya all but squealed as she watch Little Tolly turn into all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Leonel smiled but didn't say much of anything.

"Alright, Little Tolly. Let's go."

"*Bloop!"

Little Tolly shot out from floating above Leonel's palm like a speeding bullet. In one instant, it was before Leonel, and in the next, the little guy was hovering just past the three meter mark, dancing about with a childish flare.

Sometimes Little Tolly would take the shape of a star, sometimes something as random as a baseball bat, and other times it would even become creatures.

The little guy's favorite creature to imitate was definitely Little Blackstar, so it would often become an adorable little silver mink, its whiskers twitching about as though to mock its foe in his absence.

Leonel didn't restrict Little Tolly's freedom or adventurous side in the slightest. One would have thought that this would impede his control, but even as Little Tolly flipped between whatever images came to its mind, the little one still hovered exactly at three meters without strain to either Leonel or itself.

With just a casual beckoning of his finger, Little Tolly came back, hopping up and down in the air as though asking for praise.

The elders and Anya watched in astonishment as Leonel actually pet the little silver mink without a care for his hands. Anya would have screamed out to say something, but she too was a bit in shock that Leonel had passed the test so easily.

They suddenly realized right then that Leonel wasn't bluffing. If not for the Tier 3 cap, how far could he go?

As the tests blazed by one after another, even the likes of Elder Isoltihne had to admit that they had provoked a monster…

**

Back in the Three Pillar Galaxy, Planet Luxnix had entered an odd state as though a fog was beginning to hang over them. Odd rumors about matters from decades ago began to circulate. Even now, the matter was still quite slow and subtle, no one daring to offend the Luxnix family with too much brazenness. But, every time it seemed that those rumors would be smothered, the fire seemed to be rekindled elsewhere.

Though the Luxnix family was still unable to confirm it with absolute certainty, they were smart enough to begin guessing that someone was definitely targeting them.

Rumors in and of themselves weren't a big deal. However, the larger the family, organization or Guild, the more they would have to worry about such things. One only need to look toward the example of Camelot to understand why.

When it came to the Dimensional Verse, even a false story when spread wide enough could come to life, let alone a story many thought was plausible or even probable.

For the Luxnix family that placed such an emphasis on purity as a result of their Lineage Factor, such a story of impurity circulating around could even begin to subtly weaken the power of their Bloodline. Such a thing was far more serious than it seemed to the point where the Luxnix family would easily become irreconcilable with anyone who dared to spread such a thing.

But… What would they do if everyone felt it was 'true'?

…

At that moment, there was a group of young men indulging in the fine dining Planet Luxnix had to offer. It was said that the unique air of this world allowed women to grow up to become more beautiful, so they were quite famed for their gorgeous waitresses and hostesses.

This reason alone was enough for countless young men, even from other noble Sixth Dimensional families, to flock toward this location, especially after finishing a hard mission.

Among these group of young men, there was a particularly one by the name of Ossan… The very target of the first of Rychard's plans.

He chugged his beer grandly, leering at the perky bottoms of a passing waitress before leaning forward toward his group of friends.

"Have you all heard those rumors?" He whispered with flushed cheeks.

…

Right then, a figure dressed in leather armor and wearing a black mask casually entered the same restaurant.

[Author's Note: There will only be 2 chapters today, a headache has gotten the best of me. There will also, unfortunately... Be no chapters tomorrow. I will be back the day following with 4 chapters. It's about time we get to the meat of this volume...]