NOVEL WEB Chapter 95: Chapter - Rest
They finally reached the Boss Room.
But Lucien didn't charge in.
Truth be told, he was dead tired.
His body felt like lead.
His mind was clouded.
He hadn't slept a wink since they started hopping between dungeons yesterday.
If he let his focus slip even for a second, he feared his connection to his mini body would snap.
Coffee? Energy drinks?
He was done with them.
They'd had enough to keep an ogre awake for a week and another drop would probably make him vomit.
He exhaled slowly.
Pushing forward like this would be asking for disaster.
One wrong call. One bad judgment. And the entire group could pay for it.
His gaze shifted to his newest pets.
Korrak and Vyrran.
Tier 6 drakes.
They were powerful enough to tear through most bosses with ease.
And yet… something in his gut was telling him. This wasn't a fight to leave in their claws alone. He needed to be there when the Boss fell.
The problem? He had no idea how strong this Boss truly was. Their only advantage was their levels.
Decision made, They'd face the Boss only after Lucien was rested.
Soon, they pulled back from the Boss Room.
Lucien's exhausted mind began drifting into strange, unwelcome thoughts.
If one of his pets died, would they come back to life?
Skittles and Oreo had originally come from monster cards. Would they simply revert to cards upon death?
He didn't know. And he wasn't about to find out. There was no guarantee they'd return.
Of course, he won't experiment on something like that.
As for his mini clone...losing it here would be far worse…
The divine energy that formed it would vanish forever... severing his link to Lootwell as well. That was something he couldn't afford right now.
He needed more preparation before stepping through that door.
First step: Farming.
He ordered his pets to hunt more slimes on the third level and get their drops.
What he wanted were the Space and Time Magic attributes.
If his guess was right, they'd drop as Epic items just like on the second floor.
If he could secure them, the possibilities were endless.
New spells.
New runes.
New magic circles.
Lucien cast one last glance at the massive, imposing Boss Room door.
'If I were in my real body, I'd crush it even in this state. But with my mini clone… I'd be lucky to cast magic once or twice. Forget it.'
He sighed then looked at his pets.
They pressed close to him, sensing he was about to leave.
He gave them a final pat with his small hands before leaving with Sparkles.
Behind them, Skittles, Oreo, Korrak and Vyrran didn't hesitate.
They swept ahead, clearing the path for Lucien and Sparkles.
Void Slimes and Temporal Slimes fell one after another.
And so… the grind continued.
•••
They finally emerged from the dungeon and made their way toward the Town Hall.
A cool breeze brushed against Lucien's face as Sparkles used SKYWALK to speed their journey.
On the way, his thoughts turned to the third-floor drops.
They were… different.
Different and incredibly useful.
He could already picture the ways they could be put to work.
The Slime Sacs, in particular, pleased him.
With those, he could craft more Spatial Bags... once he unlocked the recipe in his CRAFT feature.
Before long, they reached the Town Hall where Sebas was already waiting.
Lucien hopped onto Sebas's shoulder. It was his new favorite perch.
Sparkles then gave a final, elegant neigh before galloping off to rejoin the others in farming drops.
"Let's head inside. I've got a few things to discuss before I leave," Lucien said.
Sebas nodded and carried him deeper into the building.
The Administration Division was hard at work. Papers and ledgers spread across their desks.
Lucien didn't intend to disturb them but Cecil spotted him almost instantly.
"My Lord! You're here! We apologize for the mess," Cecil said.
His usual enthusiasm seems unshaken even with the heavy workload.
Lucien exchanged a few words with the staff before slipping away with Sebas into an empty room.
He hopped onto the table and began pulling items from his INVENTORY.
First came the drops from the Void Slimes. He handed the most useful ones to Sebas, explaining each in turn.
"This one... Anchor Stone," Lucien said as he held up a small rune-marked rock. "Place it in key locations. Once it's active, no one can use space magic nearby. No blinking, leaping, or teleporting. That means no surprise invasions and no one sneaking in to steal from us."
Sebas nodded, listening intently. He was taking notes of every detail Lucien was saying.
Lucien went through the rest of the Void Slime drops before moving on to the Temporal Slime loot.
The Preservation Gel which could keep items fresh for long periods. The Reset Rune Tablet. And several other useful drops.
With each description, Sebas's expression shifted from interest to astonishment.
Space and Time attributed items were notoriously rare...
And these items that Lucien showed are something unheard of. And they were practical.
The time-based items in particular stood out.
Food that could stay fresh indefinitely? Objects restored to their original condition? Even a mysterious drum!
It was, in every sense, a game changer.
Once Lucien finished assigning tasks and explaining how he wanted the items used, he gave a short nod.
"That's everything."
Before he forgot, Lucien sent a telepathic command to his pets. If any violet drops appeared from enemies, they were to deliver them straight to his room.
Then he turned back to Sebas.
"Sebas, take me to my room after this."
And with that, he severed the connection.
•••
By the time Lucien returned to his original body, evening was closing in.
He let out a slow sigh and stretched, working the stiffness from his body before shuffling to the table.
From his INVENTORY, he pulled out a sheet of parchment and began writing.
***
To my lovely sister,
I'm so sorry that I can't visit you today...
...
***
Once the letter was signed, he set his pen aside and reached into his INVENTORY again.
This time, he grabbed something different.
Waystone Fragments.
Two glowing white crystals shaped like puzzle pieces rested in his hands. Their surfaces are faintly warm to the touch.
He reread the description.
"How do I link it…?"
He brought the pieces together and suddenly... he heard a sharp click. They snapped into place as if pulled by an invisible force.
A soft light bloomed between them and within that glow, a miniature night sky formed.
Tiny stars drifting like restless dust.
It was beautiful.
Lucien slowly separated the pieces.
The glow faded but the Waystones themselves hadn't changed.
He could tell. They were linked now.
He opened his MONSTERDEX and summoned Peek.
After a quick greeting, he handed Peek the letter and one piece of the linked Waystone Fragment.
He then asked him...
"Take this to my sister please."
If the description was correct, the fragment would reveal both the direction and distance of its twin.
Lucien made sure to explain this in the letter as well.
It was a safety measure. If Vivian were ever in danger, he could know her current location and rushed to her side immediately… and vice versa.
Peek chirped in acknowledgment and shot out the window. Peek became a blur against the darkening sky.
Lucien glanced at the remaining fragment in his hand.
The glittering dust inside shifted, forming glowing numbers and an arrow pointing toward the other fragment.
"So this is what it means..."
The numbers were changing rapidly. Peek had already traveled several miles in mere seconds.
They were called Skyskippers for a reason.
But the Waystone Fragment itself was the bigger surprise.
"Is this what they call quantum entanglement?"
He smirked.
"Maybe yes… maybe no."
...
Finally, the numbers on the Waystone Fragment steadied.
Peek had reached Vivian.
Lucien guessed she was reading his letter right now.
So he decided to wait for Peek's return.
Moving toward the bed, he sat down. He felt the fatigue weigh heavier on him.
Drowsiness began to creep in.
Then—
A familiar chirp broke through the haze.
Peek had returned with a folded letter clutched in his beak.
Lucien took it.
His lips curled in a faint smile as he unfolded the parchment.
It was Vivian's reply.
He lay back on the bed while reading. Each line eased something in his chest.
By the time he reached the end, his smile lingered.
Sleep claimed him before he even thought of dinner.
•••
The next morning, Lucien woke up feeling refreshed.
The estate was alive with activity.
Everyone was preparing for the upcoming Grand Celebration of the King's birthday.
After sharing breakfast with Edric and Sebas, he excused himself.
There were no pressing matters for the day. Everything for the banquet was already prepared by him.
Clothes.
Gifts.
Necessities.
His schedule was clear and his mind was set.
Today, he would hunt the third level's Boss.
And so, Lucien sat cross-legged and reached for the link to his mini body.
Click.
The scene shifted.
He now stood in his room back at the Lootwell manor. Well, small castle might be more accurate.
When he had previously asked Sebas what the mini Lucien did while his consciousness wasn't present, the answer had been unexpectedly amusing.
Apparently, it could move on its own and was remarkably helpful with repetitive tasks.
Intelligent too. It would greet people with a wave.
Most of the time, it perched on Sebas' shoulder, occasionally dozing off there.
And amusingly, it mimicked Lucien's mannerisms.
One time, a stranger mistook it for a rare artifact and tried to steal it. The mini Lucien had danced away from every grab attempt with infuriating ease.
That stranger, of course, was now blacklisted.
'So it goes AFK when I'm out. Interesting.'
Lucien glanced around the room. His renovated quarters felt enormous now. Especially with his mini clone wandering about, it made the space seem even larger.
The place was well-furnished too with pieces crafted by the construction and crafting division. A perfect blend of aesthetics and practicality.
He gave a satisfied nod.
Lucien's gaze roamed, searching for something in particular.
And then he spotted it.
'Epic Drops!'
His pets had followed his earlier orders well. Violet drops gleamed among the haul.
Anticipation surged through him as he moved toward them. Auto-Collect kicked in with a soft hum and the loot vanished into his INVENTORY.
He ignored the lesser rarity items and focused entirely on the Epic Drops.
<Void Core Crystal>
Type: Consumable
Rarity: Epic
Description: A crystallized core that holds the essence of space magic. (Crush to use.)
<Temporal Core Crystal>
Type: Consumable
Rarity: Epic
Description: A crystallized core that holds the essence of time magic. (Crush to use.)
His eyes glowed.
But he knew... These items wouldn't activate while he was in his Spilt Body.
With a thought, he severed the connection and returned to his real body.
The scene shifted again.
Lucien reached into his INVENTORY without hesitation, retrieving two crystals.
The Void Core Crystal in his left hand, the Temporal Core Crystal in his right.
One shimmered like a galaxy trapped in glass. Its depths bended light into impossible shapes.
The other pulsed with a slow, rhythmic beat as if an invisible hourglass measured each grain of time it held.
Both throbbed faintly in his grip. Energies swirled within like storms desperate to be unleashed.
Lucien didn't hesitate.
He crushed them together.
A violent surge erupted. The twin forces spiraled up his arms before coiling toward his forehead.
They sank into him.
Cold.
Silent.
Endless.
For a heartbeat, it was as if he gazed upon something that should never be seen.
Then—
[Ting!]
[You have gained an affinity in Space Magic.]
[Ting!]
[You have gained an affinity in Time Magic.]
A rush of power pulsed through his veins.
His Energy Core tugged welcoming the new attribute.
Lucien observed as his divine energy core began to hum, circulating energy through his body at a much faster pace.
He could feel it.
His muscles grew denser.
His bones are stronger.
His divine energy purer.
Lucien's excitement spiked.
Of course, he didn't forget to summon the Magic Book to update it. Soon, he would have another arsenal of useful spells at his disposal.
A progress bar appeared, building suspense.
The wait was long and tiring but he persisted.
Finally, when it reached completion... Lucien immediately scanned through the changes.
He lost track of time as he read through the new spells.
His eyes widened at the incredible spells and he jotted down a few notes.
Given the 3rd floor's connection to space and time magic, it made sense the Boss would share the same affinity. This knowledge would be crucial for his next decisions.
Page after page, his gaze never lost its glow.
Moments later...
With a quiet sigh, Lucien closed the Book and shifted his consciousness back to his mini split body.
He was ready for the Boss fight.
Lucien called out to Sparkle telepathically before heading outside.
Before long, Sparkle arrived. Lucien hopped onto the creature's back without hesitation and grinned.
"Let's blast the Boss."
The unicorn let out a proud neigh as if it shared his excitement.
Without another word, they surged forward.