In a wilderness region within Hydrurond, a dilapidated hut stood on a rocky ledge. The ledge oversaw a vast tundra. So sort of ruins were in this tundra. A lone figure was seen walking toward this ruin.
Inside the hut, a towering draconian stood by the window and watched the lone figure in the distance. He had the face of soone who had been through much hardship. A long scar decorated his face passing through his right eye which was covered by an eyepatch.
His large body was covered with white plate armor. A humongous greatsword hung diagonally on his back. The greatsword was even longer than his height.
The draconian sensed sothing from his back. He looked behind him as the space distorted. Janus walked out of that distortion. This was the real Janus, who was older than the ones Jack usually t.
The draconian's gaze remained on Janus.
"Master Ragorth, it has been so ti," Janus greeted.
"It certainly is," Ragorth returned. This draconian was the leader of the League of Champions. "You didn't seem to age."
Janus' cheek went up in what seed like a brief smile.
"I didn't know you are a descendant of the religious sect from the Eltis Shrine," Janus said as he ca to the window and looked at the ruin in the distance.
"We can always be surprised by how many things we don't know about other people. Even from those who we think we are familiar with," Ragorth replied.
"I agree with you, Master Ragorth," Janus said. "Is that the bait?" He indicated the lone figure who had now entered the ruins of the Eltis Shrine.
"That's correct," Ragorth answered.
"Don't you find this plan a bit strange?" Janus asked.
"Why do you say so?"
"That bait might be pretending to be you out there, alone. But here you are, also alone. If the assassin happens to see you in this hut, aren't you still vulnerable?"
"… I'm not alone. You are here with ," Ragorth said.
This ti, Janus did smile, albeit slightly. "But you didn't know if I would co," he said.
"No, I don't."
Janus leaned on the side of the window. His eyes continued to gaze outside. "So, we just wait here until sothing happens?"
"That's the plan," Ragorth said.
The two stayed like that, gazing out the window in silence. It was Janus who spoke again after so ti.
"What do you make of the announcent by the Liguritudum Ruler?"
"Are you referring to that rubbish about him being the creator of the world?" Ragorth asked.
Janus nodded.
"I thought about it as what it is. Rubbish," Ragorth stated.
"It is always nice speaking to you, Master Ragorth. You are always so direct and so sure about everything."
"It is not by nature. I don't have the luxury to doubt myself in the heat of battle. Doing so will just open you up for mistakes."
"Then how sure are you of this plan? Do you think the assassin might show up?" Janus asked.
"… He probably already has. He might be studying the situation to see if it is truly an opportunity or a trap," Ragorth answered.
"Then I hope he doesn't take too long to decide," Janus said. "I still have other matters to attend to."
"As do I," Ragorth said.
*
When Jack ca out of the portal into the obelisk plaza, there were two Jacks instead of one. Both Jacks looked around and spotted the young Janus overseeing the plaza. He was coming at them.
"Magic clone spell?" Janus asked when he arrived.
"You recognized the spell?" Jack asked back.
"I am a partial head of the most renowned magic institution. Don't you think it will be weird if I don't recognize it?" Janus returned.
"My mistake," Jack chuckled.
"Why do you use the spell here?" Janus asked.
"We outworlders have a peculiar way to train mana manipulation. I want to continue training while my other self faces the challenges inside the obelisk."
"That is pretty confident. Don't you think you need this spell inside the challenges?"
"I don't plan to break new record. I'm just here to farm knowledge points, so I will be entering the low-difficulty stage."
Jack walked to the obelisk number 89 while his clone sat cross-legged on the floor. The one in front of the obelisk soon vanished into the challenge stage.
"Don't mind ," Clone Jack on the floor said. "I will be unresponsive for a while, so please don't be offended if I don't respond to your call."
Janus nodded. He was both fascinated and curious about Jack's actions. Jack closed his eyes and beca still. Janus stood beside Jack trying to sense anything out of the ordinary. He sensed nothing. He stared at Jack and wondered how outworlders improved their mana manipulation by sitting and doing nothing.
What Jack was doing was not training mana manipulation. He was using his incorporeal state. His senses were now roaming around the space. He had co to this place several tis. He understood that this place where the Order of Magi inhabited was a series of connecting pocket worlds, similar to the dinsion Euphosine created to host her grueso gas.
However, they were also different. Jack's mana sense had further improved since then. In only a brief mont, he could sense that the dinsion here was more ancient, more stable, and independent. It wasn't like Euphosine's dinsion where she needed to constantly pump energy to maintain.
This dinsion had no master. The mbers of the Order of Magi simply inhabited it. Janus or the faction founder, Majus, probably stumbled into this dinsion by chance and made it their own.
Jack quickly identified the multiple exit nodes in this space. He went into one of these nodes and interfaced with the links between the pocket worlds. Trying to understand the dinsion's structure.
Lucky for him, the Order of Magi didn't place any barriers between these worlds. The mbers were free to travel around. They had to be careful, though, because it was a huge maze. One could easily lose their way.
Jack didn't waste ti. His Double Clone lasted only thirty minutes. He focused and expanded his consciousness as much as possible. He was trying to identify the nexus world.
Because this dinsion was more stable, Jack found it in a shorter ti than when he was in Euphosine's dinsion. His improved mana sense also played a factor.
Once he did, he imdiately returned to his body. He stood up just as another Jack ca out of the obelisk.
"You did only one challenge today?" Janus asked when the two Jacks headed to the exit.
"I just rember I have sothing I need to do," Jack replied.
"In that case, see you again, Mister Storm Wind," Janus said. He watched the two Jacks walk into the exit portal. His eyes were contemplative, trying to understand what Jack was up to.
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